Who is Julian Paul Assange?
Julian Paul Assange is the lean, tall, and pale 39-year-old Australian hacker at the heart of WikiLeaks. This whistle-blowing website gained attention after revealing thousands of secret Afghan battlefield reports, making Assange a target for U.S. authorities.
The Enigma of Assange and WikiLeaks
Assange has become a prominent figure due to WikiLeaks, which is dedicated to obtaining and posting secret government documents from anonymous sources. Despite his heightened profile, he remains one of the most elusive figures of our time.
Julian Paul Assange is an Australian journalist, publisher, and Internet activist. Best known as the spokesperson and editor-in-chief for WikiLeaks, he was a computer programmer before his involvement with the site. He has lived in several countries and occasionally speaks publicly about freedom of the press, censorship, and investigative journalism.
Assange founded WikiLeaks in 2006 and serves on its advisory board. He has published materials on extrajudicial killings in Kenya, toxic waste dumping in Africa, Church of Scientology manuals, Guantanamo Bay procedures, and issues related to banks like Kaupthing and Julius Baer. In 2010, he released classified details about the U.S. involvement in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. On November 28, 2010, WikiLeaks began publishing secret U.S. diplomatic cables in collaboration with several media partners. The White House has labeled Assange's actions as reckless and dangerous.
WikiLeaks' Impact
Working with a few unpaid volunteers, Assange has obtained classified material that casts a shadow on the American military's activities in Iraq and Afghanistan. He drew worldwide attention by disclosing 76,000 leaked classified documents from Afghanistan.
In a series of press conferences and interviews from London, Assange claimed that the documents might reveal evidence of war crimes in Afghanistan. "It is up to a court to decide clearly whether something is in the end a crime," he said. "That said, on the face of it, there does appear to be evidence of war crimes in this material."
U.S. Authorities Respond
The Pentagon has strongly condemned the leaks. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates called it a breach that the military would "aggressively investigate and prosecute." Adm. Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated, "Mr. Assange can say whatever he likes about the greater good he thinks he and his sources are doing, but the truth is they might already have on their hands the blood of some young soldier, or that of an Afghan family."
Assange, reportedly working and living in northern Europe, has no plans to travel to the United States for fear of detention. U.S. government lawyers are exploring possible charges against WikiLeaks and Assange, potentially under the Espionage Act of 1917.
The Manning Connection
U.S. authorities have found evidence linking Pfc. Bradley Manning, 22, of Crescent, Oklahoma, to the leak of the Afghan war reports. Manning, charged in July with illegally obtaining State Department cables and disseminating a secret video showing a U.S. helicopter firing on civilians in Baghdad, is held in Kuwait and will be moved to Quantico, Virginia, for court-martial.
The Rise of Julian Assange
Julian Assange, known for his hacking skills, is a global citizen and a visionary of the encrypted universe. He has been called "The Robin Hood of Hacking." His mission is to maximize the flow of information to drive just reform. Despite his grandiose goals, he has attracted a small following of volunteers and donors.
Assange's life, filled with intriguing anecdotes, resembles a character from "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." He operates stealthily, living secretively, and pursuing his goals single-mindedly. Born in 1971 in Townsville, Australia, he was partly home-schooled and moved frequently with his mother, a painter, actress, and artist's model.
Early Hacking Days
A computer-savvy teenager, Assange began hacking under the code name Mendax. He joined two other hackers to form the International Subversives, successfully breaking into computer systems worldwide, including Pentagon networks. His hacking activities led to his arrest in 1991 when he was 20. He was fined and underwent a three-year trial.
Founding WikiLeaks
In 2006, Assange founded WikiLeaks as an "instrument of information warfare." He worked tirelessly to build the site, which is hosted on a Swedish Internet server and ensures secrecy through a complex cyber maze. WikiLeaks publishes secret documents and videos that governments and agencies want to keep hidden.
Notable Publications
WikiLeaks has published significant information, including Sarah Palin's private Yahoo account details and the Standard Operating Procedures at the U.S. facility in Guantanamo. The site's publication of a secret U.S. helicopter cockpit video in 2007 showing the killing of civilians in Baghdad ignited a debate about U.S. conduct in the war.
The War Logs
In July 2010, WikiLeaks released "The War Logs," one of the biggest leaks in U.S. military history. This exposure has made Assange and WikiLeaks famous. Assange expects a "substantial increase in submissions" from whistleblowers.
As a celebrity, Assange may find it harder to avoid media scrutiny. He continues to move quietly, carrying his desktop computer and clothes, working tirelessly to decrypt the next trove of secrets.
