OpenLeaks looking to usurp struggling WikiLeaks

by Steven Mostyn - Dec 13 2010, 11:21

As hacking group Anonymous wages war in an effort to prevent WikiLeaks from being dropped off the Net, it would appear a brand new whistle-blowing website is preparing to carry the apparently tarnished baton of free speech.

OpenLeaks is the creation of Daniel Domscheit-Berg and other former members of WikiLeaks that, according to a CNN report, believe the actions of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange have “weakened the organization”.

Speaking in a TV documentary, Domscheit-Berg revealed that OpenLeaks is expected to launch today (Monday, December 13) and aims to help people channel potentially sensitive insider information from beneath the veil of anonymity.

According to an unnamed backer offering support to OpenLeaks, the new site will serve as an info intermediary that provides “a strong, transparent platform to support whistleblowers—both in terms of technology and politics—while at the same time encouraging others to start similar projects.”

Taking a clear swipe at WikiLeaks’ now high-profile founder, OpenLeaks will also strive to ensure “that the organization continues to be democratically governed by all its members, rather than limited to one group or individual.”

Last month, WikiLeaks hit the headlines after it spewed more than 250,000 secret U.S. diplomatic cables onto the Internet during a high-profile event labelled ‘Cablegate’—a grand reveal OpenLeaks will apparently look to avoid by releasing information gradually.

Controversy has surrounded WikiLeaks since its recent information splurge. Specifically, various ISPs have issued denial-of-service attacks against it, while Mastercard has blocked site donations, and micro-blogging site Twitter has been accused of preventing #wikileaks and #cablegate from Trending. 

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested in England late last week after two Swedish women accused him of multiple sexual offences. He now faces possible extradition to Sweden.

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