<nettime> The counter-infrastructure of Wikileaks and Julian Assange

[Morlock Elloi <morlockelloi@gmail.com>]

Those with longer memories may hazily remember events from 2010 when the 
obvious became known, and aftershocks that followed and shaped this decade.

It was done by introducing new piping in the global information flow 
system, that enabled short-circuiting between siloed domains of the 
ruling class and the ruled serfs.

This was probably the first grassroots infrastructural attempt to 
counter the flow monopolies. It was attacked on the infrastructure side 
by hijacking DNS and seizing the machines. Fortunately spreading IP 
numbers could not be stopped (there was a thriving activity of 
disseminating lists of IP numbers), and everyone and their mother 
started mirroring it. It truly became grassroots infrastructure and it 
could not be stopped. It was a success.

It was also attacked by pretty much everyone with some voice, as most 
were rather happy with the status quo, regardless of the 'side' they 
were on. The new infrastructure changed the rules of the game. For the 
left, it made the intellectual drivel and dogma obvious for what it is, 
invalidating 'theory' into the ground. For the right, it removed the 
curtain and forced it to even farther right. This is what new 
infrastructure does. It makes many uncomfortable, as it obliterates 
domesticated ideologies.

It is such a shame that it did not get more support. It is such a shame 
that it did not inspire more copycats to build other 
counter-infrastructures - not just for leaking, but for countering the 
dominant information flow regimes in general.

It is such a shame that the audience sits and watches as the founder of 
this infrastructure is being subjected to more and more enhanced 
imprisonment. Motherf*ckers, this is more important than which oligarch 
has better style. which cretinous subset is a greater victim, or 
pondering when will the capitalism end.

.



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