Wikileaks founder Told Passport is Being Canceled
Wikileaks founder has his passport taken away, told it will be canceled.
Wikileaks is a whistleblower website known for posting sensitive documents that various governments don't want the public to see. As a result, the founder of the site hasn't exactly made many friends abroad. However, it would seem his efforts are equally unappreciated in his home country of Australia.
The Age reports that founder Julian Assange had his passport taken away from him at Melbourne Airport last week. Officials said took it from him because, "it was looking worn." Though the Age reports that passports are routinely taken away for periods of time if they look damaged, when his passport was returned 15 minutes later, Julian was told by customs officials that it was about to be canceled.
Assange told Dateline that half an hour later, he was approached by a customs official who searched his bag and asked about his criminal record relating to computer hacking offenses in 1991.
Assange gained notoriety in Australia last year when he published a list of websites that the Australian government was planning on blocking under new Internet filtering laws. The Government said the filtering was intended to block unsavory content related to rape, bestiality and child porn, however, a couple of completely innocuous sites were also present on the list, including web pages for a dentist and a tour operator. Wikileaks is also known for posting footage of U.S. forces laughing at 12 dead bodies in Iraq.
The Age was told that Assange is able to travel freely with his passport and said he is listed as 'normal' in the immigration database.
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wikileaks are great!
This man is a crusader. Don't keep him down, we need more men like him. Our governments seem to forget that we are the ones they serve, not the other way around.
Man thats just cheap.
Dirty move by government officials. I hope there's enough outcry to force them to change their mind.
Australia is now going to search your notebooks and phones for porn at customs. Australia already censors government criticism (in certain places at least). Actually finding out this man lives in Australia, it's surprising Wikileaks wasn't shut down sooner.
Not in my backyard!
Just as Obama signs the Freedom of Press Act. In plain EnglishI guess that means journalists are really stuffed deer, now.
I'm sure it's overblown. This guy is a sensationalist, he'll go to any lengths to provoke a response. Check out his interview on the Colbert Report.
You need to expose disease first to cure it. Only very retarded people could punish the doctor for x-raying a tumor in their brain.
How on earth can any country that calls itself democratic oppose initiatives such as Wikileaks? Media is the fourth power in any democracy and obstructing it seriously hampers the essential control over and awareness of what's going wrong in a nation.
Governments, companies and organisations must be monitored and a free and objective press and media using all reliable sources, including whistleblowers, is the only chance we have to end corruption, crime, pollution and many other issues.
Even though Wikileak is full of ridiculous stuff, some of its leaks have actually meant something.
had to go take a look to see what all the fuss is about.
Australia is moving more towards an authoritarian regime than any other western country.
This people, is what we should fight against. Not being an anti-global warming activist.
Well it's country full of criminals' descendants. What did you expect?
wasn't that guy in the warlock movies?
US. Customs can do the same thing. And they don't need probable cause. They can share your information with anyone they choose. And take as long as they want to do it.
The last sentence makes this one of the dumbest articles on Toms for this year.
Just as Obama signs the Freedom of Press Act. In plain EnglishI guess that means journalists are really stuffed deer, now.
Good job reading what country the man is in.
@All Aussies: Encrypt your stuff using True Crypt!
Man! I'm with YOU!!!
Sometimes the truth ain't pretty... or easy to find. I appreciate what this man tries to do for the truth.
I guess we have all been transported back in time....To the year 1984!
It seems Auz immigration didn't actually do anything wrong except perhaps mistakenly (and according to Assange), tell him his passport would be cancelled - which most definitely didn't happen.
Is that what's got all you lot riled up here? Come back when something happens. I'm all in favor of Wikileaks, but this isn't news.
Sometimes the truth ain't pretty. And sometimes the truth ain't exciting enough for some.
Just as Obama signs the Freedom of Press Act. In plain EnglishI guess that means journalists are really stuffed deer, now.
Good job reading what country the man is in.
Looks to me like he was pointing out our current similarities with the Aussies. BTW Obama's new Finance Bill allows the Treasury to look at all banking transactions without a warrant, for your safety of course. Just another POV...
How on earth can any country that calls itself democratic oppose initiatives such as Wikileaks?
A country isn't a democracy just because their government says it is. For example, the former East Germany called itself the "German Democratic Republic", yet they also engaged in censorship and found clever ways to punish and restrict those who opposed the government or created too much trouble.
Wait. So his passport WAS NOT canceled. What's the real point of this article.
What I got from this article is that some web-news site, without unsubstantiated evidence wrote that a controversial person supposedly was told that his passport would be canceled, only that it in fact wasn't canceled.
I'm getting sick and tired of "rumor-news". I have better things to do than spend my time reading an article portrayed as factual, only to find that it's all garbage. That and all the writers to think they're making themselves important by writing drivel.
The government is trying to keep this man from revealing their dirty secrets.
A country isn't a democracy just because their government says it is. For example, the former East Germany called itself the "German Democratic Republic", yet they also engaged in censorship and found clever ways to punish and restrict those who opposed the government or created too much trouble.
True, but it is safe to say Australia considers itself a democracy...
Countries that many of you believe to be democratic are actually Representative Republics. An actual democracy is when everyone votes on the laws that are passed. In actuality, we only vote for people to represent us and to vote on our behalf.
The problem is that once they are in office, they can vote any way they wish. If they go against the wishes of the people they represent, then they are(supposed to be) voted out of office. The other problem is that too many people that are able to vote are too lazy to actually get out and vote. They then go to internet chat rooms and gripe about how the leadership is doing a bad job.
So, get out and vote. Do you part or do not get upset when things do not go your way.
As for this article, it just seems like the people at Wikileaks are trying to find a way to become relevant, yet they are failing. I guess Julian Assange has been unable to get enough classified data and is looking for attention in other way. Really, though, Wikileaks has never and will never post any real "classified" or "top secret" data, because those that run the site prefer to stay alive and free.
Wikileaks is a good idea, but it is run by a group of absolute, rabid idiots.
Australia already censors government criticism (in certain places at least).
Where the bloody hell did you get that idea mate?
No seriously, that part is actually bullshit. I have no problems saying that the Australian Government [XXXX] [XXXXXXXX] [XXXXXXXXXX] [XX] [XXXXXXX] [long live Australia].
Australia already censors government criticism (in certain places at least).
...but all jokes aside, this has actually never happened.
its wikiLEAKS, that means the crap he's exposing is not his, it's others', usually. Is like shooting the messenger.
We need a whole country filled with people like him. That should be the next superpower.