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WikiLeaks Defector Creates Spin-Off Site OpenLeaks

Mary Slosson |
December 12, 2010 | 8:05 p.m. PST

Executive Producer

OpenLeaks Founder Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Photo Creative Commons)
OpenLeaks Founder Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Photo Creative Commons)
The former right-hand man to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has created a rival online whistleblowing site that is to launch Monday.

The site, called OpenLeaks, is an alternative model of promoting transparency that Daniel Domscheit-Berg envisioned after leaving the WikiLeaks organization over personal differences with Assange in September.

OpenLeaks will operate "without a political agenda except for the dissemination of information to the media," leaving "all editorial control and responsibility," with the entities that ultimately publish the information, according to an insider with the new entity.

“As a result of our intention not to publish any document directly and in our own name, we do not expect to experience the kind of political pressure which WikiLeaks is under at this time. In that aspect, it is quite interesting to see how little of politicians’ anger seems directed at the newspapers using WikiLeaks sources," the source continued.

Domscheit-Berg left Wikileaks after a public falling out with Assange.  He later stated that he disagreed with the focus on high-profile United States-related leaks at the expense of other, important leaked documents that gathered dust in the WikiLeaks databases.

Upon breaking from WikiLeaks, he lamented:

We promise for example everything from our sources will be published. We have concentrated lately however only on the big topics and practically all our resources are used for that, for example on the Afghanistan documents of the US army at the end of July. The video of the air strike in Bagdad from the year 2007, "Collateral Murder," was an extreme demonstration of our growth. At the same time we have dozens of other documents we can publish. And due to our increased publicity in the last half year very much new material has been received that needs to be urgently worked on and published.

WikiLeaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnsson said "the more the better" when asked what he and his organization thought about the proliferation of WikiLeaks-inspired derivative sites.

Reach Executive Producer Mary Slosson here.  Follow her on Twitter here.



 

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Comments

Reason Morning Links: Prison Protests, Nixon Tapes, and a Ye (not verified) on December 13, 2010 5:37 AM

[...] OpenLeaks, a new site in the WikiLeaks genre, is expected to go live today. [...]

Your rating: None
Wikileaks shows all leaks are not equal – ABC Onli (not verified) on December 13, 2010 4:04 AM

[...] Assange's lawyerTimes of IndiaUS might try to extradite Julian AssangeInquirerTMCnet -Neon Tommy -AFPall 1,374 news articles » No TweetBacks yet. (Be the first to Tweet this [...]

Your rating: None
Timmi (not verified) on December 13, 2010 1:45 AM

Hope to see something new soon. I like to the the dark side of the politics and also the Catholic scandal and the scandal from the British royal family if any.

Your rating: None
Anonymous (not verified) on December 12, 2010 10:14 PM

Yay wikileaks, open leaks, and leakspin! I love you guys! Keep it up..... FOR FREEDOM!!!!!

Your rating: None
Scott (not verified) on December 12, 2010 9:50 PM

I don't think it's correct to look at them as a rival site. They have both have the same goals, but just have different preferred methods for achieving those goals. I suspect they will each celebrate the other's success.

Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)
Twitter Trackbacks for WikiLeaks Defector Creates Spin-Off (not verified) on December 12, 2010 8:49 PM

[...] WikiLeaks Defector Creates Spin-Off Site OpenLeaks | Neon Tommy neontommy.com/news/2010/12/wikileaks-defector-creates-spin-site-openleaks – view page – cached OpenLeaks Founder Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Photo Creative Commons) The former right-hand man to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has created a rival online whistleblowing site that is to launch Monday. [...]

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  WikiLeaks Defector Creates Spin-Off Site OpenLea (not verified) on December 12, 2010 8:31 PM

[...] WikiLeaks Defector Creates Spin-Off Site OpenLeaksNeon TommyOpenLeaks will operate "without a political agenda except for the dissemination of information to the media," leaving "all editorial control and …and more » [...]

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