WikiLeaks and Whistleblowing: An Exposé That Shook The World with Julian Assange (S3 Ep.24)

Today I'm going to try something new. Instead of publishing an interview that I did myself, or a Q&A where I answer your questions, I'm going to use my platform to publish an interview conducted by somebody else. Now, this requires a bit of an explanation. My friend Desh Amila, who's a filmmaker and producer, organized an event with Julian Assange in 2017. He filmed the event at the time and then forgot all about it until a few days ago when he came across the footage by coincidence. When Desh offered to publish this footage using my platform, I was hesitant at first, because I worry that publishing this on my podcast would give people the impression that I support Julian Assange's actions, or that I support WikiLeaks as an organization.

So let me say this upfront - I'm agnostic about whether Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have done more good than harm for the world, as their supporters must believe. It's just not clear to me, and my publishing of this interview should not be taken by anyone as an endorsement either of him or of WikiLeaks. As all of you are aware, I'm a big defender of free speech and transparency. Therefore, you might expect that I would always take the side of the whistleblower who reveals important secrets held by governments or powerful corporations. For example: I had Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower on this show just a few months ago and I gave her a very friendly interview because I thought that what she revealed about Facebook was clearly a net good for the world. However, my support for free speech and transparency in general, doesn't automatically extend to every specific release of hacked information, especially in cases where that information could hurt people.

You will be able to hear more of my thoughts on Julian Assange and WikiLeaks in the introduction to the episode.

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