Wikileaks is alive! Long live Wikileaks!

The Internet is democracy. That is not hyperbole. It is probably the single most liberating invention since a certain Mr. Gutenberg invented the printing press.

Some people make a lot of money from the Internet, but even more just give their content away. You may hear complaints that the Web has killed newspapers for example, but the flip side of that is information once confined to a printed page is now available for free, and there’s a hell of a lot of it.

Some websites, like the previously mentioned newspapers, follow this open ethos because they have too; others take this idea of openness and democracy and run with it, and keep running, and running…

Wikileaks went live in January 2007, their aim to anonymously publish documents that would get whistleblowers, journalists and citizens jailed, sued or generally crushed into silence.

Wikileaks has released over 1.2 million documents, many never meant to the see the light of day.

They include: the BNP membership lists, the standard operating procedures at Guantanamo, (including the terrifying revelation that the US was holding prisoners off-limits to the International Red Cross), Scientology internal memos, a list of donors to US senators, the contents of Sarah Palin’s Yahoo email account (actually quite dull), those climate researcher emails from the University of East Anglia, Trafigura dumping toxic waste on the Ivory Coast…

The Guardian had the Trafigura story but was unable to report because of a super injunction brought by Trafigura’s lawyers against reporting anything to with the case. Wikileaks had no such trouble.

Financial woes

Operations were suspended in early December 2009. “We have raised just over $130,000 for this year but cannot meaningfully continue operations until costs are covered,” they said in a statement on the site.

“These amount to just under $200,000 PA. If staff are paid, our yearly budget is $600,000.”

They added: “Although our work produces reforms daily and is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the 2008 Economist Freedom of Expression Award as well as the 2009 Amnesty International New Media Award, these accolades do not pay the bills.

“Nor can we accept government or corporate funding and maintain our absolute integrity. It is your strong support alone that preserves our continued independence and strength.”

But now for the good news; Wikileaks tweeted this morning: “Achieved min. funraising goal. ($200k/600k); we’re back fighting for another year, even if we have to eat rice to do it.”

Visit wikileaks.org to donate.

Image Credit: Soulrider.222