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WikiLeaks Founder Loves the Intrigue

Former hacker disdained in many quarters for rampant leaking

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 7, 2010 4:59 PM CDT

(Newser) – With WikiLeaks back in the news with the release of a video purporting to show an American helicopter killing civilians and journalists in Iraq, Mother Jones offers a not-very-flattering profile of site founder Julian Assange. He’ll admit he’s Australian, in his 30s, and a former computer hacker and journalist—but not much else. “Why make it easy for the bastards?” he says. It's an example of how the "self-centered" Assange cultivates an image of shadowy intrigue.

While giving due credit to his whistleblower site, the article rounds up critics who think the philosophy of post-everything/censor-nothing often goes too far. One of the first people in the comment section is Assange himself. "I am Julian Assange, and the subject of this article, which is full of errors and was not shown to me, even in part, prior to publication."

Julian Assange.
Julian Assange.   (Flickr)
Julian Assange.
Julian Assange.   (Flickr)
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It's a good thing that there's a channel for getting information out that's reliable and can't be compromised. There's a difference between what you can legally do, what you can technically do, and what you ought to do. - Lawrence Lessig

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 27 comments
TessTalks
Apr 10, 2010 12:06 AM CDT
Why shouldn't EVERYONE know EXACTLY what's going on? Only the people with shit to hide are complaining. So, you know what, boo, hoo, fucking hoo.
bewilderbeast1
Apr 8, 2010 6:12 PM CDT
The bravest people in the world very seldom look like the Hollywood heroes who PLAY brave people. Long may his site reveal what the warmongers want to hide. Bankers next, WikiLeaks?
serious
Apr 8, 2010 5:27 PM CDT
Finally, we are seeing some transparency; the kind that brought down Viet Nam.
 

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