Julian Assange: Why the world needs WikiLeaks

TL;DR

Julian Assange discusses the role and impact of WikiLeaks in releasing classified information and its ability to influence public opinion.

Transcript

Chris Anderson: Julian, welcome. It's been reported that WikiLeaks, your baby, has, in the last few years has released more classified documents than the rest of the world's media combined. Can that possibly be true? Julian Assange: Yeah, can it possibly be true? It's a worry -- isn't it? -- that the rest of the world's media is doing such a bad jo... Read More

Key Insights

• 💣 WikiLeaks has released more classified documents than the rest of the world's media combined, highlighting a lack of transparency and accountability in traditional journalism.
• 💻 WikiLeaks uses state-of-the-art encryption to protect the privacy of whistleblowers, bouncing information across the Internet and through legal jurisdictions to ensure legal protections.
• 📨 WikiLeaks receives information through various channels, including regular postal mail, and vets it like a regular news organization before releasing it to the public.
• 🎭 The identity of whistleblowers is rarely known and promptly destroyed by WikiLeaks to protect their anonymity.
• 🇰🇪 The release of the Kroll Report by WikiLeaks had a significant impact on the Kenyan election, shifting the vote by 10% and changing the result.
• 🔍 The Baghdad airstrike video leaked by WikiLeaks caused outrage by revealing the gross disparity in force between Apache helicopters and civilians on the ground.
• 🔒 WikiLeaks follows a harm immunization policy and handles information with personal identifying information carefully, but believes that exposing legitimate secrets can lead to reform.
• 💰 WikiLeaks faces challenges, including the need for more journalistic volunteers and funding to process and verify the high-quality whistleblower disclosures they receive.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does WikiLeaks ensure the legitimacy and safety of the documents they receive?

WikiLeaks uses encryption and other secure methods to receive and protect information from whistleblowers. They go through a rigorous vetting process to verify the authenticity of the documents before releasing them to the public. Whistleblowers' identities are kept confidential and destroyed as soon as possible to protect their safety.

Q: Can WikiLeaks release any classified documents they receive?

WikiLeaks only releases documents that are deemed to be of public interest and can bring about reforms or expose human rights abuses. They prioritize documents that organizations are actively trying to conceal, as it signifies the potential impact such information can have on society.

Q: How did the leaked documents about corruption in Kenya and the Baghdad airstrike affect public opinion?

In the case of Kenya, the leaked Kroll Report exposed political corruption and influenced the election, ultimately changing the result. Similarly, the leaked video of the Baghdad airstrike shed light on the disproportionate use of force by the U.S. military, leading to widespread outrage and a shift in public perception.

Q: What are the challenges faced by WikiLeaks in processing and vetting the high volume of whistleblower disclosures they receive?

WikiLeaks is currently facing challenges in processing and vetting the large number of high-quality disclosures they receive due to limited resources. They are undergoing a restructuring and fundraising effort to expand their team and enhance their ability to handle sensitive information.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• WikiLeaks has released more classified documents than the rest of the world's media combined, revealing information that organizations try to conceal.

• Assange explains the ways in which people can securely release documents to WikiLeaks and how they vet and release them to the public.

• He recounts two specific examples of leaked documents that exposed corruption in Kenya and the truth behind a Baghdad airstrike, ultimately shifting public opinion and election results.