This man, with his shock of ghostly white hair, has been drifting in and out of the public sphere with an uncanny persistence.
Love him or hate him, the founder of Wikileaks is everywhere - and has been particularly so for the past nine days since the secret US cables started to be released.
His name, and assessments of the effects of his work, are all over blogs and social media.
And opinions are divided. As you'll see further down this blog.
Today, he's making headline news after being arrested by British Police, after a warrant from Sweden for Mr Assange's arrest was issued in connection with alleged sex crimes. He's since been remanded in custody after being refused bail, following a court appearance.
Now, we don't want to get into the legal case against Mr Assange. The exact specifics of what he has been accused of are not the point of our discussion today.
But with all eyes on him, what do you make of one of the world's most talked about men and the job he's doing?
For blogger Antonio Lupetti Mr Assange's decision to leak the US State Department's diplomatic cables is one of his biggest mistakes. He calls it childish to be surprised that American dilpomats secretly criticise other countries, and says Assange is motivated by
Anti-Americanism dressed up as love for transparency and truth. This is Assange's biggest mistake. His one-sided accusation against the United States itself undermines the credibility and defensibility of his mission. But this blogger goes further, rubbishing the assumption that he's a strident left winger
He strikes me as being more of an anarchist, an individual bent on inflicting his warped ideology wherever he sees the chance. People of his ilk are notoriously difficult to manage, as they have a tendency to press on with their crusades even in the face of certain defeat. David Samuels praises Mr Assange for freeing up the press, in a world where the chilling effect of legal action can stifle good journalism:
Wikileaks is a powerful new way for reporters and human rights advocates to leverage global information technology systems to break the heavy veil of government and corporate secrecy that is slowly suffocating the American press. This blogger celebrates Assange for using technology to change the way individuals relate to authority
In the long run, it is more effective to change society by changing the tools through which people interact, than by direct confrontation with the state. The state exists only because people think it exists, and is therefore far more fragile than it seems. Are you fascinated by Julian Assange? Is he a freedom of speech hero, blowing a gale through the establishment's injustices? Or is he just a nihilistic and dangerous time waster?
Your comments
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:54
113631290
Adam Missouri, United States
Here in the United States there is a lot of anger toward Julian Assange. But I think that most people forget that he did not leak the information. He just distributed it to a larger audience once it was given to him. The free flow of information should never be impeded once it is disclosed, even by illegal means.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:53
113631290
James Tinsley-Arkansas, U.S.A.
If the documents and cables being released were those of Iran, I guarantee your American guest and everyone now berating him would be saying that Mr. Assange is a great hero.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:53
113631290
Jens emails...
For me Wikileaks behavior lack any sense of responsible behavior. I for one do not want to see a bunch of hackers dictating what should be the international policy. It is anarchy at it's root and so far from democracy you can come.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:52
113631290
Bara emails
If Wikileaks was available ten years ago, the invasion of Iraq might not have happened.
Comment sent via SMS
18:51
115809777
We have a right to know what world leaders do behind our backs. Eg Arab nations have been seen for what they really are. We want to know the nature of the communication b/w UK and USA prior to d Afghan/Iraq awars.USA has been lecturing us about freedom of information now see what they are doing. Let govtkeep their secrets and let journalists expose them. That way, govts will run state affairs with a mind on their discovery.
*Tony Udom, Nigeria*
Comment sent via SMS
18:51
108514614
Julian Assuage is a hero and we should all take action against pay pal and Visa for trying to sabotage
His business. What Julian Assuage has revealed is what we all knew anyway that what diplomats say in public is different to what they say in private nobody believed what they said in public anyway and despite what the US would have us believe we in the world are grown up enough to take whatever is leaked out. I believe we are better off knowing the truth
Comment sent via SMS
18:49
115810208
Interesting cotribution from Swedish lawyer.Criminals are thoughtful and inteligent.The Atomic Bomb was made by thoughtful and inteligent scientists.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:46
113631290
Ryan in Baltimore, Maryland
Assange is doing the right thing. He is choosing the greater good. When more of these war documents are leaked and people see how poorly the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are going and how many innocent people are dying and have died, the citizens will speak up and get us out of these wars sooner, so fewer people, in the long run, will die.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:44
113631290
Reggie in Israel writes:
The fact that Mr. Assange's efforts have focused only on exposing the United States begs the question of his political motivations. Why no leaks from China, Russia, Iran?
Comment sent via Facebook
18:39
113631290
Billy Hoxie on facebook
he shook things up and the goverment was held responsible for a change. We really don't have any real journalism in this country anymore. I won't call him a hero but appreciate his work.
Comment sent via SMS
18:39
113805154
Assange is a true hero. For laying bare the duplicity and hypocrisy of American diplomats, he deserves undiluted commendation. MOHAMMED MAIYAKI, KANO, NIGERIA.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:33
113631290
Allison Corona
Personally I think what he did, dump a bunch of stolen documents online, doesn't make him anything other than a middle man. How is that brave?
Comment sent via Facebook
18:32
113631290
Kurt Finch
A brave man to go against 'The Man' and his machinery - and look at the price he's having to pay with the politicians we elected setting him up. I think we need a big and very lively demonstration in London and capitals around the world to let our so called leaders know that we will not stand for their cynical actions in our name
Comment sent via Twitter
18:32
115809819
@主播大秀_WHYS My friend thinks this whole Wikileaks business is carefully and intentionally planned by the US to give them reason to go to war.
Comment sent via SMS
18:23
108486501
Does the heroic world of journalism also include those from fox news sky the sun news of the world etc. Simon florence italy
Comment sent via SMS
18:23
115809711
Frank (UGANDA). Come on guys, can鈥檛 u c the whole thing is politically influenced. The west is again applying it鈥檚 suppressive methods & it鈥檚 nothing than an attabk on the media but Justice will set him free coz he鈥檚 a hero.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:22
113631290
Carruthers
In my book, Julian Assange is a villian. He has no business making the world more unsafe by releasing confidential information which he has no business doing in the first place. The world community will now be reluctant to share information.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:21
113631290
Joseph
The information should be made available to the public domain with neutral intentions. The public have the right to know the facts. You may complain about how telling these secrets may hurt people, but hiding these secrets may also hurt people, what about them?
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:17
113631290
Gilbert, jos, nigeria.
Julian is a villain. The wikileaks exposures are iresponsible, and he should be prosecuted for the damage he's caused.
Comment sent via SMS
18:15
111961071
This man isn鈥檛 a hero due to the fact that he doesn鈥檛 perceive things from other people鈥檚 point of view. RICHARD FROM LUSAKA
Comment sent via SMS
18:12
108862539
Wikileaks stands for the global鈥檚 1st Constitution. - Dieng Plateau, Singapore.
Comment sent via SMS
18:07
108845880
He鈥檚 not a hero, but the reaction of political authorities risks making him just that. Where does this leave the idea of free speech? Kokulo Franklin, Liberia.
Comment sent via Feed
18:08
113631290
He should be given the next Nobel Peace Prize.
Comment sent via SMS
18:08
115809536
Assange is a traitor who deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars. McWilliams FBC, Ftown
Is Julian Assange a hero or a villain?
| Tuesday, 12 Dec. 2010 | 18:00 - 19:00 GMT
This man, with his shock of ghostly white hair, has been drifting in and out of the public sphere with an uncanny persistence.
Love him or hate him, the founder of Wikileaks is everywhere - and has been particularly so for the past nine days since the secret US cables started to be released.
His name, and assessments of the effects of his work, are all over blogs and social media.
And opinions are divided. As you'll see further down this blog.
Today, he's making headline news after being arrested by British Police, after a warrant from Sweden for Mr Assange's arrest was issued in connection with alleged sex crimes. He's since been remanded in custody after being refused bail, following a court appearance.
Now, we don't want to get into the legal case against Mr Assange. The exact specifics of what he has been accused of are not the point of our discussion today.
But with all eyes on him, what do you make of one of the world's most talked about men and the job he's doing?
For blogger Antonio Lupetti Mr Assange's decision to leak the US State Department's diplomatic cables is one of his biggest mistakes. He calls it childish to be surprised that American dilpomats secretly criticise other countries, and says Assange is motivated by
Anti-Americanism dressed up as love for transparency and truth. This is Assange's biggest mistake. His one-sided accusation against the United States itself undermines the credibility and defensibility of his mission.
But this blogger goes further, rubbishing the assumption that he's a strident left winger
He strikes me as being more of an anarchist, an individual bent on inflicting his warped ideology wherever he sees the chance. People of his ilk are notoriously difficult to manage, as they have a tendency to press on with their crusades even in the face of certain defeat.
David Samuels praises Mr Assange for freeing up the press, in a world where the chilling effect of legal action can stifle good journalism:
Wikileaks is a powerful new way for reporters and human rights advocates to leverage global information technology systems to break the heavy veil of government and corporate secrecy that is slowly suffocating the American press.
This blogger celebrates Assange for using technology to change the way individuals relate to authority
In the long run, it is more effective to change society by changing the tools through which people interact, than by direct confrontation with the state. The state exists only because people think it exists, and is therefore far more fragile than it seems.
Are you fascinated by Julian Assange? Is he a freedom of speech hero, blowing a gale through the establishment's injustices? Or is he just a nihilistic and dangerous time waster?
Your comments
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Adam Missouri, United States Here in the United States there is a lot of anger toward Julian Assange. But I think that most people forget that he did not leak the information. He just distributed it to a larger audience once it was given to him. The free flow of information should never be impeded once it is disclosed, even by illegal means.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
James Tinsley-Arkansas, U.S.A. If the documents and cables being released were those of Iran, I guarantee your American guest and everyone now berating him would be saying that Mr. Assange is a great hero.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Jens emails... For me Wikileaks behavior lack any sense of responsible behavior. I for one do not want to see a bunch of hackers dictating what should be the international policy. It is anarchy at it's root and so far from democracy you can come.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Bara emails If Wikileaks was available ten years ago, the invasion of Iraq might not have happened.
Comment sent via SMS
We have a right to know what world leaders do behind our backs. Eg Arab nations have been seen for what they really are. We want to know the nature of the communication b/w UK and USA prior to d Afghan/Iraq awars.USA has been lecturing us about freedom of information now see what they are doing. Let govtkeep their secrets and let journalists expose them. That way, govts will run state affairs with a mind on their discovery. *Tony Udom, Nigeria*
Comment sent via SMS
Julian Assuage is a hero and we should all take action against pay pal and Visa for trying to sabotage His business. What Julian Assuage has revealed is what we all knew anyway that what diplomats say in public is different to what they say in private nobody believed what they said in public anyway and despite what the US would have us believe we in the world are grown up enough to take whatever is leaked out. I believe we are better off knowing the truth
Comment sent via SMS
Interesting cotribution from Swedish lawyer.Criminals are thoughtful and inteligent.The Atomic Bomb was made by thoughtful and inteligent scientists.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Ryan in Baltimore, Maryland Assange is doing the right thing. He is choosing the greater good. When more of these war documents are leaked and people see how poorly the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are going and how many innocent people are dying and have died, the citizens will speak up and get us out of these wars sooner, so fewer people, in the long run, will die.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Reggie in Israel writes: The fact that Mr. Assange's efforts have focused only on exposing the United States begs the question of his political motivations. Why no leaks from China, Russia, Iran?
Comment sent via Facebook
Billy Hoxie on facebook he shook things up and the goverment was held responsible for a change. We really don't have any real journalism in this country anymore. I won't call him a hero but appreciate his work.
Comment sent via SMS
Assange is a true hero. For laying bare the duplicity and hypocrisy of American diplomats, he deserves undiluted commendation. MOHAMMED MAIYAKI, KANO, NIGERIA.
Comment sent via Facebook
Allison Corona Personally I think what he did, dump a bunch of stolen documents online, doesn't make him anything other than a middle man. How is that brave?
Comment sent via Facebook
Kurt Finch A brave man to go against 'The Man' and his machinery - and look at the price he's having to pay with the politicians we elected setting him up. I think we need a big and very lively demonstration in London and capitals around the world to let our so called leaders know that we will not stand for their cynical actions in our name
Comment sent via Twitter
@主播大秀_WHYS My friend thinks this whole Wikileaks business is carefully and intentionally planned by the US to give them reason to go to war.
Comment sent via SMS
Does the heroic world of journalism also include those from fox news sky the sun news of the world etc. Simon florence italy
Comment sent via SMS
Frank (UGANDA). Come on guys, can鈥檛 u c the whole thing is politically influenced. The west is again applying it鈥檚 suppressive methods & it鈥檚 nothing than an attabk on the media but Justice will set him free coz he鈥檚 a hero.
Comment sent via Facebook
Carruthers In my book, Julian Assange is a villian. He has no business making the world more unsafe by releasing confidential information which he has no business doing in the first place. The world community will now be reluctant to share information.
Comment sent via Facebook
Joseph The information should be made available to the public domain with neutral intentions. The public have the right to know the facts. You may complain about how telling these secrets may hurt people, but hiding these secrets may also hurt people, what about them?
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Gilbert, jos, nigeria. Julian is a villain. The wikileaks exposures are iresponsible, and he should be prosecuted for the damage he's caused.
Comment sent via SMS
This man isn鈥檛 a hero due to the fact that he doesn鈥檛 perceive things from other people鈥檚 point of view. RICHARD FROM LUSAKA
Comment sent via SMS
Wikileaks stands for the global鈥檚 1st Constitution. - Dieng Plateau, Singapore.
Comment sent via SMS
He鈥檚 not a hero, but the reaction of political authorities risks making him just that. Where does this leave the idea of free speech? Kokulo Franklin, Liberia.
Comment sent via Feed
He should be given the next Nobel Peace Prize.
Comment sent via SMS
Assange is a traitor who deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars. McWilliams FBC, Ftown