KATE THOMPSON DAVY: Hacker hero or mercenary, Assange represents a turning point
His legacy of normalising mass leaks that bypass editorial oversight is a complex issue
Julian Assange, the hacker, whistle-blower and radical transparency advocate, is a free man. Well, technically he must still jump through some legal hoops, including pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information (more below). In exchange, the US authorities have agreed not to seek extradition, opting instead to count his 62 months in a British prison as time served (https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/world/2024-06-25-julian-assange-to-be-freed-after-pleading-guilty-to-espionage-charge/).
At the time of writing, Assange was on a plane headed to Saipan, a US-territory in the western Pacific where he would stand before a judge to rubber stamp the agreement that will bring this 14-year-plus legal soap opera to an end. Thereafter, Assange will make his way to his native Australia to be reunited with his family. The Australian government is said to have been instrumental in the agreement...
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