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The subject of wikileaks has opened much debate as to whether the website has gone too far or whether they are simply picking up the loose end of an underachieving US Media, however, even as such organizations as Amnesty International award the webpage, they have faced continued animosity as they reveal revelations that the US Government simply did not want publicized. Shockingly and contrary to government reports, troops manning checkpoints or riding convoy shoot at innocent civilians or torture prisoners. In one report, 69,000 out of the 109,000 deaths recorded from Army checkpoints were civilians.

The web is no longer just an integral part of our lives; the web significantly defines the way we engage with the world. To be a wholly educated leader, a successful and effective member of an organization or business, and or an engaged citizen, it is now vital to understand web technologies beyond the level of a consumer. Instead of seeing the web as something that "happens behind the computer screen," the liberally educated person must understand how the web works and shapes our lives. This means understanding how data travels, what happens to your personal information on the web, how the definition of privacy is changing, how the web serves as a publishing and authoring platform, how media is shared and remixed, and how an online economy is changing the way we learn. In Spring 2011 we will launch a Design Seminar to begin mapping out integrated academic approaches to the Web, modeling the ways that multiple disciplines and perspectives are necessary to really comprehend the technological and cultural landscape.

This webpage discusses how other websites and corporations have been affected by the Wikileaks issues. Such issues as public censorship, which Amazon has for years condoned, resurfaced surrounding government and public pressures about Wikileaks. Now Amazon must consider if they are willing to pre-screen or censor material uploaded to their site. Twitter has faced similar issues, while PayPal has come under substantial fire from the government for supporting Wikileaks' Donation efforts.

The WikiLeaks founder says he believes the internet is not a technology that favors freedom of speech but rather spying. Assange disagrees with reports that Facebook and Twitter play a role in the unrest in the Middle East. He offers his reasoning why revolts cannot be started via Facebook, Twitter, or other social networking sites: they can all be used to round-up principal participants, so that they may be beaten, interrogated or incarcerated. Perhaps most disturbingly, he blames leaked diplomatic cables for the unrest currently in the Middle-East being that the United States had decided that in a necessary event, they would militarily back the Tunisian military over the political regime and would mobilize against neighboring countries if need be. There were further cables that also led to US disapproval of Mubarak in Egypt.

Interesting article on how the media is grasping this story and how filmmakers wish to portray the events surrounding Assange. Could the making of several documentaries and movies surrounding this issue lead to a larger question of legitimacy? Can film researchers potentially uncover answers to some of the questions that are being offered by many around the globe? Will the movies be politically charged, such as the allegations surrounding his trial in Sweden? How will the government react to this new interest in producing films around Wikileaks?

The leaking of more than 390,000 previously secret US military reports details the hidden realities of the war in Iraq. More than 100,000 people have died and whole towns such as Falluja have been reduced to near-rubble, while allegations of brutal abuse by some US and UK soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison and elsewhere continue to surface. WikiLeaks has defied the Pentagon to pass this data on to a wide range of media organizations such as newspapers and other webpages.

Officer and Miss A met through political party and corresponded over internet months before WikiLeaks chief was accused. The pair corresponded on the internet 16 months before the allegations were made against Assange. Miss A commented on a Facebook update on the police officer's page as recently as 10 February including anti-Assange comments, and is a frequent visitor to the officer's blog. Questions have arisen as to whether Assange may even be expedited to Sweden given this information, and as to why the officer did not declare a conflict of interest if such allegations against Assange are true. Many have cited political motivations in the fight to have Assange incarcerated, raising even more questions.

Shows how even the media is under control. The article also states that the Wikileak release of video questions the accountability of publicized (and unrevealed) investigations by the US forces and calls for more transparency in order to prevent such incidents in the future.

Short but very interesting article that touches on the phenomenon of multiple other websites similar to wikileaks springing up when wikileaks is attacked. Wikileaks has created a demand for such information and when the website is attacked by payment and service providers, other websites have stepped up to fill the void. Also, lots of interesting links built into this piece.