"Information is the new oil. It's valued, but if uncontrolled, it can create an awful lot of mess."
This quote by Julian Assange suggests that in our modern world, information has become as valuable and sought-after as oil was in past centuries. However, just like oil can lead to environmental disasters when not properly managed, uncontrolled dissemination of information (especially sensitive or potentially harmful data) can create chaos, misunderstandings, or negative consequences. It's a call for responsible handling of information in the digital age.
"Secrecy, propaganda, censorship, war and armament - these are the classic tools of any regime seeking to extend its power."
This quote by Julian Assange suggests that regimes or powerful entities use various tactics to maintain control, influence, and expand their power. Secrecy allows them to hide information, propaganda can sway public opinion, censorship prevents opposing views from being heard, war instills fear and obedience, and armament demonstrates their might. Collectively, these tools create an environment where dissent is stifled and the regime's control is reinforced.
"Truth is a service, strength is in numbers. Weakness of governments is that they are secretive, and the strength of the internet is it isn't."
This quote by Julian Assange emphasizes two key points about the nature of truth and power in modern society: 1) Truth as a service: Assange equates truth with a service, suggesting that truth should be disseminated openly for the greater good. He implies that revealing truth serves societal interests, fostering transparency, accountability, and ultimately empowering individuals to make informed decisions. 2) Strength in numbers: The quote highlights the strength of collective action through the internet. By contrasting governments' secretive nature with the openness of the internet, Assange underscores that power lies in unity and information sharing among people. When numerous individuals come together on a platform like the internet, they can challenge authority and hold governments accountable for their actions. In essence, this quote emphasizes the importance of truth, transparency, and collective action as tools to combat government secrecy and maintain societal checks and balances in an increasingly interconnected world.
"To describe something as 'illegal' does not make it so."
This quote by Julian Assange suggests that simply labeling an action or situation as illegal doesn't inherently make it so. It underscores the idea that authority and laws do not always define what is right or wrong, but rather what is deemed legal or illegal within a specific context. The quote implies a need for critical thinking and independent judgment to determine truth and justice.
"The internet is the most important invention in human history because it empowers individuals to swap information in ways never before possible. It has the capacity to be a world-changing mechanism of empowerment for individuals, egalitarian, grassroots, based on the idea of sharing."
This quote by Julian Assange emphasizes the transformative power of the internet as a tool for information exchange among individuals, particularly its potential to democratize access to knowledge. He views the internet as an "egalitarian, grassroots" platform that encourages sharing, fostering a world where everyone can share and receive information in unprecedented ways, thus amplifying individual empowerment on a global scale. In essence, he suggests that the internet serves as a fundamental mechanism for social change by promoting a more open, collaborative society.
What is the possible benefit? Can this material save lives? Can it improve the quality of life in Iraq? Can it tend to shape our perceptions of how war should and should not be conducted? Can it shape our perceptions of who should be conducting war and in what manner? And the answer to that is a clear yes.
- Julian Assange
Well, there's a question as to what sort of information is important in the world, what sort of information can achieve reform. And there's a lot of information. So information that organizations are spending economic effort into concealing, that's a really good signal that when the information gets out, there's a hope of it doing some good.
- Julian Assange
I saw that publishing all over the world was deeply constrained by self-censorship, economics and political censorship, while the military-industrial complex was growing at a tremendous rate, and the amount of information that it was collecting about all of us vastly exceeded the public imagination.
- Julian Assange
As we have seen, WikiLeaks is a robust organization. During my time in solitary confinement in the basement of a Victorian prison, we continue to release, our media partners continued to write stories. The important revelations from this material continue to come out. We have approximately 2,000 cables into 250,000.
- Julian Assange
That's a problem. I mean, like any sort of growing startup organization, we are sort of overwhelmed by our growth. And that means we're getting enormous quantity of whistleblower disclosures of a very high caliber, but don't have enough people to actually process and vet this information.
- Julian Assange
We get information in the mail, the regular postal mail, encrypted or not, vet it like a regular news organization, format it - which is sometimes something that's quite hard to do, when you're talking about giant databases of information - release it to the public and then defend ourselves against the inevitable legal and political attacks.
- Julian Assange
In my role as Wikileaks editor, I've been involved in fighting off many legal attacks. To do that, and keep our sources safe, we have had to spread assets, encrypt everything, and move telecommunications and people around the world to activate protective laws in different national jurisdictions.
- Julian Assange
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