Revolutionary Hero or Criminal and Traitor?

On February 24, in a London courtroom, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces the threat of being sent to the US to go on trial as an enemy agent and saboteur. Defenders argue that the Australian is a champion of free speech. His accusers say he’s a willing stooge using the cover of “journalism” to do the dirty work of hostile forces. Is Assange a 21st century hero of the Information Age? Or is the one time convicted hacker the tip of a dangerous digital spear?

“We’re going to fuck them all…  We’re going to crack the world open and let it flower into something new.” — Julian Assange, January 7, 2007

This week, in a London courtroom, WikiLeaks founder and radical transparency revolutionary Julian Assange begins the legal battle of his life.  The United States government is on the war path against the digital information impresario.  The global superpower seeks his extradition from the U.K. to face multiple criminal counts of espionage and one count of conspiring to hack a government computer.  If convicted in the US, the 48-year-old Australian hacktivist could spend the rest of his life ...