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Wikileaks

Hand holding smart phone with a news page. The news is redacted and the hands seem to indicate surprise.

Wikileaks

A nonprofit whistleblower website launched in 2006, Wikileaks has highlighted important issues about government transparency the free expression rights of online publishers and the unimpeded flow of information on the Internet. While there is heated controversy about its tactics and publication choices, EFF supports the fundamental right of Wikileaks and similar websites to publish truthful political content — and the fundamental right of users to read that content.

EFF Defends Against Attack on Wikileaks.org Domain

EFF intervened to protect Wikileaks' domain name from a legal attack in 2008 when Swiss bank Julius Baer filed suit against both the whistleblowing website and its domain name registrar Dynadot. At the time, the court issued a permanent injunction against the wikileaks.org domain name, causing the site to be unavailable through the main URL. EFF and the ACLU filed a motion to intervene and many media and other free speech organizations joined. The judge dissolved his previous orders allowing the wikileaks.org domain name to go back up.

Wikileaks Continues Publishing

Wikileaks received a great deal of media attention in 2010 when it published a wealth of confidential documents about the United States government. The publications included: ●"Collateral Murder" — a video depicting a United State Apache helicopter firing on civilians in New Baghdad in 2007, killing several people including two employees of the news agency Reuters. ●The Afghan War Diary — over 91,000 field reports from the war in Afghanistan ranging from 2004 to 2010. ●The Iraq War Logs — 391,832 field reports from the war and occupation in Iraq. ●United States Embassy Cables — also known as Cablegate — a collection of cables exchanged between the State Department and US diplomatic embassies worldwide. Over 250,000 cables are slated to be release in small batches over several months.

Cablegate Shows Online Intermediaries as the Weakest Link

In the wake of the early waves of cables being published online in late 2010, numerous online intermediaries acted in ways that highlighted the fragility of online free speech. Payment providers, cloud service hosting providers, and other intermediaries shut off services to Wikileaks sometimes in response to unofficial government pressure. This raised serious concerns about the power of online intermediaries that worked to shut down free speech without Wikileaks having been formally charged with any crime in relation to the leaks. In response, the Electronic Frontier Foundation launched a campaign against Internet censorship and sent an Open Letter to Lawmakers reminding them to safeguard free expression when considering the debate over Wikileaks. EFF also created guidelines for constructive direct action against censorship.

The Government Investigates Wikileaks

In January 2011, it came to light that the United States government had sought certain account information from Twitter about particular users in connection with a Wikileaks-related investigation. EFF and the ACLU announced they would represent Icelandic Member of Parliament Birgitta Jónsdóttir in connection to a court order for information from her Twitter account. Photo credit: Graphic Tribe via Wikimedia Commons

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EFF Related Content: Wikileaks

hands holding a phone showing a heavily censored news article

Deeplinks Blog byDavid Greene | June 25, 2024

EFF Statement on Assange Plea Deal

The United States has now, for the first time in the more than 100-year history of the Espionage Act, obtained an Espionage Act conviction for basic journalistic acts. Here, Assange's Criminal Information is for obtaining newsworthy information from a source, communicating it to the public, and expressing an openness... ●Read more about EFF Statement on Assange Plea Deal

Deeplinks Blog by rainey Reitman | January 4, 2021

EFF Statement on British Court’s Rejection of Trump Administration’s Extradition Request for Wikileaks’ Julian Assange

Today, a British judge denied the Trump Administration’s extradition request for Wikileaks Editor Julian Assange, who is facing charges in the United States under the Espionage Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The judge largely confirmed the charges against him, but ultimately determined that the United... ●Read more about EFF Statement on British Court’s Rejection of Trump Administration’s Extradition Request for Wikileaks’ Julian Assange

Deeplinks Blog by rainey Reitman | October 7, 2020

The Selective Prosecution of Julian Assange

As the extradition hearing for Wikileaks Editor-in-Chief Julian Assange unfolds, it is increasingly clear that the prosecution of Assange fits into a pattern of governments selectively enforcing laws in order to punish those who provoke their ire. As we see in Assange’s case and in many others before this, computer... ●Read more about The Selective Prosecution of Julian Assange

Deeplinks Blog by rainey Reitman, Kurt Opsahl | July 1, 2020

Wikileaks-Hosted "Most Wanted Leaks" Reflects the Transparency Priorities of Public Contributors

The government recently released a superseding indictment[1] against Wikileaks editor in chief Julian Assange, currently imprisoned and awaiting extradition in the United Kingdom. As we’ve written before, this prosecution poses a clear threat to journalism, and, whether or not Assange considers himself a journalist, the indictment ... ●Read more about Wikileaks-Hosted "Most Wanted Leaks" Reflects the Transparency Priorities of Public Contributors

Deeplinks Blog byDavid Greene, Kurt Opsahl | May 24, 2019

The Government’s Indictment of Julian Assange Poses a Clear and Present Danger to Journalism, the Freedom of the Press, and Freedom of Speech

The century-old tradition that the Espionage Act not be used against journalistic activities has now been broken. Seventeen new charges were filed yesterday against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. These new charges make clear that he is being prosecuted for basic journalistic tasks, including being openly available to receive... ●Read more about The Government’s Indictment of Julian Assange Poses a Clear and Present Danger to Journalism, the Freedom of the Press, and Freedom of Speech

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