WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks strives to bring transparency to government activities by publishing and defending sensitive materials submitted by activists, journalists, and others. It is based on the premise that transparency in government discourages corruption. It is global in scope, but attempts have been made to block traffic to the site from China. The group considers itself a transparency group or whistleblower’s site. WikiLeaks is a project of The Sunshine Press. The goal of the site is to improve transparency, especially in government institutions. Because of the nature of the content, there are no names officially attached to the site. It appears to be funded by online readers and anonymous donors. It was established in Sweden, a country that protects journalists and prohibits them from disclosing sources. Other than the name and presentation style, there is no association with Wikipedia. WikiLeaks strives to illuminate principled leaking as a means of keeping governments honest. Every submission is checked to ensure authenticity prior to posting by a team of editors, journalists and anti-corruption analysts. However, there are no public spokespersons or names attached to any of the information. WikiLeaks has a look and feel identical to Wikipedia, with the exception of users being able to edit or add to content areas. The homepage features the latest tweets, leaks, analyses, and links to mentions of WikiLeaks in the news. There is a comprehensive list of all leaks, which include everything from government documents to maintenance manuals for Boeing 737s to documentation supporting a UK site that rates prostitution services. There is a search box available, similar to other Wiki sites. There is an overwhelming amount of information provided and browsing yields a plethora of content. There is no registration necessary to view content on WikiLeaks. Anyone wishing to submit content is assured of bank-grade encryption, no logs, and protection under Swedish and Belgium press secrecy law. At the time of this review, the link to submit files was broken, so the submission process and requirements were unavailable for viewing. Wikileaks is free to use. There are many people who might find WikiLeaks interesting or useful. Anyone wishing to make classified content publicly available can submit to the site anonymously and with identities protected. Others who are interested in government transparency may also be interested in the content presented on the site. Journalists can use the site to find interesting stories.