Apparently Assange has distanced Wikileaks from attacks on Mastercard, Visa and Paypal.

[Uncle Joe]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/09/wikileaks-cables-pfizer-nigeria

• It emerged that Julian Assange had been transferred to the segregation unit in Wandsworth prison and had distanced WikiLeaks from cyber attacks on MasterCard, Visa, PayPal and other organisations.

[Hissyspit]

1. Becaue WikiLeaks didn't do them, I imagine.

[Uncle Joe]

2. This is preliminary but my take on it, is that he and Wikileaks don't approve either.

[Hissyspit]

4. I have no idea. I haven't seen anything.

[EFerrari]

18. WL spokesperson said, neither applaud nor condemn --

"Wikileaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said: 'We neither condemn nor applaud these attacks. We believe they are a reflection of public opinion on the actions of the targets.'”

read in Greg Mitchell's blog post.

[tekisui]

3. They weren't involved, they didn't initiate it or ask for it.

[Xicano]

5. Wonder what his thoughts are

I hope good comes from all that seems to be happening currently.

Thanks Uncle Joe...

[TorchTheWitch]

6. A few of us said they'd be pissed off about this

It doesn't do anything but hurt Wikileaks.

[Uncle Joe]

8. That's my take on it as well. n/t

[Hissyspit]

11. They may very well be pissed off.

But there is no evidence of that until they say so.

Distanced from is a strategic move, not necessarily an emotional one.

[Uncle Joe]

12. This is just speculation on my part, but Wikileaks taking on excessive Byzantine secrecy

by government, that which prevents the people from knowing whether their elected and appointed agents are truly representing their best interests is one thing because it serves to empower the people.

However I believe the attacks or disruptions against those financial institutions; (even if they deserve it) which so many of the people have come to depend on will be used by the corporate media to good effect in alienating a large % of the people against Wikileaks' higher calling.

I agree with you, this may just be a strategic and honest move in that Wikileaks just has nothing directly to do with it, but they do in fact secretly approve; however that in it self seems to go against their basic mission statement.

[Hissyspit]

13. Agreed.

[Hissyspit]

10. "Distanced WikiLeaks from" equals "pissed off" how?

[TorchTheWitch]

16. it should be obvious and some of us have pointed it out

All this is going to do is hurt Wikileaks and Assange. That's a fact. Like it or not, people are going to associate the fact that they can't get into sites they need or want to with Wikileaks. It's not going to make one single iota of difference if Wikileaks claims it isn't them... no one will believe it. PERIOD.

Bombarding the prosecutor's site in Sweden while Assange is sitting in jail right now about to be extradited to Sweden is going to piss off the prosecution authority, and it will only serve to make them more diligent in trying to nail his ass to the wall. And they very well may believe he's behind it. And why not? He IS a hacker and had been found guilty of cyber hacking in Australia before. None of this is going to help his case any now is it? Especially since he's the one since the very day he got arrested who had shopped it all over the media that he was being smeared by the prosecution authority of Sweden and hasn't let up about it since.

Guess what else it's likely to do? It's the PERFECT excuse for the government to grab control of the internet which they've ALWAYS wanted to do and HAVE been playing with the idea lately. The government LOVES this. Those little shitty 4chan punks just handed them the GIFT of the perfect excuse. And John and Jane Q. Public will LOVE the idea because they've already heard all about this "terrorist" evil Wikileaks and that "spy" Assange all over the news day and and day out lately and even more they'll love it because they couldn't get into the Visa or Mastercard website to try to find out something personally important to them that may have everything to do with their livelihood or they couldn't get into PayPal to find out about their funds which may BE their livelihood, they couldn't get into Amazon to find out why the gifts for the holidays they ordered hadn't been delivered and their holidays may end up ruined, etc., etc., etc. GUARANTEED they WILL find out why they couldn't take care of their internet needs and conveniences if they don't know already, and they WILL blame Wikileaks and Assange. And if you haven't figured it out by now, NOTHING is more important to John and Jane Q. Public than their own personal needs and conveniences.

And here we are with damn near everyone cheering this on like it's the greatest thing since god made little green apples. Cheering on massive criminal cyber hacking by 4chan brats for crying out loud... like nobody here KNOWS all about those evil punks? They're doing this for no other reason than because they CAN and they're having a jolly good time of it like never before, and loving the idea that it's someone else that'll be blamed for it... just like they've ALWAYS done.

[Hissyspit]

17. Yeah, know all that and have considered all that.

Nor sure that equates to WikiLeaks is "pissed off."

[Djinn]

25. Anyone can download the botnet

I can barely turn on my PC and even I could join in the DDoS attacks if I felt there was much point to taking down a credit card companies website for a wee while. You don't need to be a hacker at all. NO-ONE thinks Wiki is behind it because the people who ARE behind it have made no big secret about it.
It won't harm or help Wiki which is why they neither support or oppose it

[EFerrari]

19. They don't seem to be. n/t

[femrap]

23. Please...there are other hackers

in this world. And if they don't like Corporate Shitheads, so be it.

[frylock]

26. "We neither condemn nor applaud these attacks."

[NoPasaran]

7. That certainly makes him smarter than a lot of his fans

[sabrina 1]

9. What it makes him is a truth teller. Wikileaks didn't do it. What would

he say other than that?

I think it's great to know that when governments start bullying people, especially the press, from now on, people have finally found a way to fight back. For far too long ordinary people have had no recourse.

Assange may like the fact that people are angry enough to fight back, or he may not, but it is not his business, it is the people's business to finally take some action against the censors and those who do their dirty work for them, like Paypal and Visa. Without that kind of collaboration, the government could not suppress the people..

I can't believe the lack of understanding of the need to demonstrate that the people WILL fight back. We have been lazy cowards, unwilling even to boycott Cable TV when we are presented with 'news' that is vetted by the government. We can't miss our favorite shows.

But NOW there ARE people willing to take the risk of being arrested and people like Assange who, as has been noted, knew that once he began to expose the rampant lies and corruption of governments around the world, he might end up in prison for life, or even dead. It's been a long time since we've seen anyone willing to do that.

I think a lot of people are not aware of what Wikileaks has accomplished over the past four years. What the U.S. media tells us about them, has little to do with the facts. They are NOT out to 'get' the U.S. as many xenophobic Americans believe. They have received rewards for their work and have done a real service, including saving lives, for the world's ordinary citizens, but they knew that would make enemies for them, in every country whose governments they exposed.

[EFerrari]

20. No, that makes him someone in custody dealing with the judicial system. n/t

[former9thward]

14. He has distanced himself because VISA, MC and PayPal

have office buildings full of corporate lawyers who would sue Wikileaks out of existence if they can prove anything.

[Uncle Joe]

15. Assange and Wikileaks' people have risked their lives and freedom for their beliefs, I don't

believe the fear of lawsuits plays a major intimidating part of their thinking.

[Octafish]

21. + Infinity

I never thought I'd see the day where American journalists would call for extinguishing the First Amendment.

Then, again, we do live in the age of Rush Limbaugh and Roger Ailes.

[Occam Bandage]

22. Good. He's a journalist, not a thug. nt

[Octafish]

24. Cyber attacks on MC, VISA, etc are tailor-made excuses for Censoring the Net.

The Establishment" already has a brand to make: Operation PAYBACK.

WikiLeaks Avengers Strike Mastercard, Visa, Others

Which, of course to the authoritarian DEFCON warmongering forehead means:

Censoring WikiLeaks — Then the Internet?

Thank you for an excellent OP and thread, Uncle Joe!