JULIAN ASSANGE
The Age
Saturday February 12, 2011
WikiLeaks founder faced British court over extradition to Sweden. The magistrate has reserved judgment. No doubt, in the coming days, many more column inches will be dedicated to Julian Assange's battle against extradition to Sweden. His case, however, is the tip of the iceberg. In 2009 more than 4000 people were extradited under Europe's fast-track extradition system, 700 from the UK alone. This kind of EU co-operation may help in the fight against crime but the benefits of a streamlined system should be weighed against the heavy toll taken upon an individual when surrendered to another state. Jago Russell, The GuardianAn old way of doing things is dying; a new one is being born. And we need more midwives.What is new is our ability to individually and together connect with greater ease than at any time in human history. As a result, information flows more freely into the public arena, powered by seemingly unstoppable networks of people around the world co-operating to share vital data and prevent its suppression. Old institutions and incumbent powers are inexorably coming to terms with this new reality. The "Age of Transparency" is here: not because one transnational online network dedicated to open information and whistle-blowing named WikiLeaks exists, but because the knowledge of how to build and maintain such networks is now widespread. Adapted from Micah Sifry's WikiLeaks and the Age of Transparency, published on The Huffington Post website
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