WikiLeaks has been a thorn in the side of worldwide politics for a decade. Most of what we learn about this ground-breaking organization we get from the news, which often puts its own slant on the story. Other times, only a part of this organization’s issue is revealed, leading readers to come to conclusions without all the facts.
For this reason, is important to dig deeper and look at some details regarding Wiki-Leaks that may not be reported by the average news report.
[1] They Do Not Hack Documents
WikiLeaks, founded by Julian Assange on October 4, 2006 in Iceland, only publishes documents that are given to that non-profit organization by anonymous sources. No member of WikiLeaks hacks or steals documents.
During the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, Julian Assange was asked why he didn’t release any documents about candidate Donald Trump. He answered by saying that no documents relating to Donald Trump had been given or sent to his organization.
[2] WikiLeaks is a Worldwide Non-Profit, Non-Partisan Media Organization
This journalist organization publishes confidential and classified documents from governments around the world. Julian Assange claims that the organization is completely non-partisan, publishing any important document that is fed to the organization. During an interview with Sean Hannity, Julian Assange said that he would have no problem publishing documents about President Donald Trump if someone sent them to him.
[2] Wiki-Leaks Warns Software Creators about Cyber Hacking Threats
On March 9, 2017, Publisher Julian Assange posted a video warning the public about a new threat of cyber attacks that have been unleashed on the world. The American CIA had developed the largest arsenal of cyber weapons – trojans, viruses and malware – and had stored them on their computer in Frankfort, Germany. The CIA used this malware to gather intelligence from that part of the world.
Unfortunately, the CIA did not protect this cyber weapons arsenal. Rogue operatives copied the information and spread the details about these weapons, without authorization, to other agencies. Assange was made aware of this collection of CIA-developed malware by virus researchers during the time it was being passed around. On March 7, 2017, WikiLeak published 8,761 documents, some of which disclosed the existence of the uncontrolled cyber weapons arsenal. No details were disclosed about how the malware could be used.
Since that time, Julian Assange has contacted major software publishers, such as Apple, and Microsoft, to offer to give them the details in Wiki’s possession. With this information, they can put fixes in place within their software to protect the public from cyber attacks from the circulating CIA-created malware, viruses and trojans.
[4] WikiLeaks is a Group of Journalists, Not Hackers
WikiLeak’s mission statement, taken from its own website, states that its goal is to inform the public about important issues. The organization’s reporters write news articles and uses the original source material they receive from leakers all over the world as the proof of the truth of their news reports. This, they say, is important to readers as well as historians, who want evidence of the truth of a matter.
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WikiLeaks is a clearinghouse for leaked documents. Journalists and whistle-blowers can feed source documents to the organization by way of an electronic drop box. The organization also develops and adapts software that enables it to fulfill its mission.
In the spirit of transparency, founder Julian Assange believes that the people should be allowed to know what their government is doing – especially the atrocities, so that there is a chance of stopping them from happening again. Wiki-Leaks rose to worldwide fame with the release of a video of U.S. gunship in Afghanistan shooting and killing civilians, including children, on an Afghan street.
[5] The Work of the Organization Cannot be Stopped
WikiLeaks has set up a protected network that allows it to continue its work even without Julian Assange. When John Kerry of the U.S. government had Assange’s internet access cut off, files continued to published.
As you know, the WikiLeak organization is the first of its kind. As such, it is particularly prone to making mistakes and changing direction. Run by a pioneer genius, nobody knows what will happen next. For all his faults, Julian Assange has stayed faithful to the mission of reporting stories that otherwise would go unreported. He is not the first journalist to back up his reports with foundational documents obtained from anonymous sources who have secured them by illegal means. The difference is, he does it on a massive scale.
He has proven for years that cyber security is a myth. Governments and government officials often do not take the necessary precautions to protect their classified materials. In one case, a government intelligence agency did not protect its own cyber hacking software.
Although governments hate the work of this organization, people around the world are deeply grateful for the work done and the sacrifices taken to bring unsavory truth to light. The saga is not over. The organization is still operating and huge numbers of documents are still being released on a regular basis. History may show that WikiLeaks is more than a non-profit organization. Its work of transparency may continue as long as classified documents are stored on the internet.
