A Young Rebel with a Computer
In a small town in Australia, a boy named Julian sat at his computer. The soft glow of the screen lit up his face as his fingers danced across the keyboard. ️ It was 1987, and Julian wasn't like other kids. While they played outside, he explored a different kind of playground - the world of computers.
"Mom, look what I can do!" young Julian would say, showing his mother how he could make words appear on the screen like magic.
Fun Fact: Julian got his first computer when he was 16 years old. It was a Commodore 64, which was like a great-great-grandparent of today's computers!
Julian grew up moving from place to place. His family was like a tiny traveling circus, never staying in one spot for too long. By the time he was 15, he had lived in over 30 different towns!
The Computer Wizard
As Julian got older, he became really good with computers. He wasn't just playing games - he was learning how they worked from the inside out. He gave himself a special nickname online: "Mendax." In Latin, that means "noble liar."
One day, while exploring the computer world, Julian had a big idea. He saw that many people in power kept secrets from regular people. Sometimes these secrets weren't very nice.
"What if," he thought, "I could make a special place where people could safely share important secrets that everyone should know about?"
"Information should be free," Julian would often say. "People deserve to know the truth."
Breaking the Rules
But Julian's computer adventures weren't always safe. Sometimes, he would sneak into computer systems he wasn't supposed to enter. It was like playing a very serious game of hide and seek with other computer experts.
The police didn't like this game. In 1991, they caught Julian. He got in trouble, but the judge saw that he wasn't trying to hurt anyone. He just had to promise to be good and pay a small fine.
A Big Dream Growing
Even after getting in trouble, Julian didn't stop believing in his ideas. He went to college to learn more about math and physics. His brain was always working, thinking about how to make the world more honest.
He started writing in journals about his big dream: a website where people could safely share important secrets that powerful people were hiding. It would be like a magical box that could protect both the secret-tellers and the secrets until it was time to share them.
Important: Julian believed that if regular people knew more about what powerful people were doing, the world would be a better place.
By the late 1990s, Julian was no longer just the curious boy with a computer. He had grown into a man with a mission. His fingers still danced across keyboards, but now they were typing out plans for something that would change the world.
Little did anyone know, this was just the beginning. Julian's big idea would soon grow into something that would make powerful people nervous and change how we think about secrets forever. The Birth of WikiLeaks
In 2006, Julian was ready to make his big dream come true. He started a special website called WikiLeaks. Think of it like a super-secret mailbox where people could share important information without anyone knowing who they were.
Fun Fact: The name "WikiLeaks" comes from two words: "Wiki" (which means a website where lots of people can work together) and "Leaks" (which means letting secret information out).
The First Big Secret
WikiLeaks' first big story was about a bad leader in Africa. Someone sent WikiLeaks papers showing how this leader had taken lots of money that belonged to the people. It was like catching someone stealing cookies from the cookie jar, but much more serious!
"People need to know when leaders aren't being honest," Julian would say. His website was working just like he had hoped.
"We help good people tell important secrets safely," Julian explained to reporters who were curious about his new website.
Making Friends Around the World
Soon, people from all over the world wanted to help WikiLeaks. They were like a team of secret helpers, each doing their part to make sure important information could be shared safely.
Julian made the website super safe. It was like a digital fort with strong walls that kept bad guys out. People who wanted to share secrets could do it without being scared of getting in trouble.
Important: WikiLeaks used special computer tricks to keep secret-tellers safe. It was like having an invisible cloak that hid who they were!
Growing Bigger and Bigger
More and more people started sending secrets to WikiLeaks. Some were about big banks doing bad things. Others were about companies hurting the environment. Each secret was like a piece of a big puzzle showing things that needed to be fixed in the world.
Newspapers and TV shows started talking about WikiLeaks. Some people thought Julian was a hero for helping share these secrets. Others didn't like what he was doing at all.
Making Waves
By 2008, WikiLeaks was getting really famous. Big powerful people were getting worried. They didn't like that their secrets could now be shared with everyone.
Julian traveled around the world, telling people about WikiLeaks. He would say things like: "When governments or big companies do bad things, people should know about it."
Did You Know? WikiLeaks had helpers in many countries, like a big team of secret agents working for good! ♂️
Getting Ready for Something Big
Julian and his team knew they were making some powerful people angry. But they kept working because they believed what they were doing was right.
"Sometimes doing the right thing isn't easy," Julian would tell his team. "But it's always important."
WikiLeaks was growing stronger every day. More secrets were coming in, and more people were paying attention. But nobody knew that the biggest secrets - ones that would shake the whole world - were just around the corner. ⭐War Secrets Come to Light
In 2010, WikiLeaks showed the world something that changed everything. It was a video called "Collateral Murder." The video showed something very sad that happened during the war in Iraq.
Important Moment: This video showed a helicopter shooting at people who weren't soldiers. Many people were very upset when they saw it.
The Brave Helper
A young soldier named Chelsea Manning helped share this video. She saw things in the war that made her sad, and she wanted people to know the truth. It was like when you see someone being mean at the playground - you want to tell a grown-up about it. ♀️
"People deserve to know what happens in wars," Julian said when reporters asked him about the video.
More War Stories
After the video, WikiLeaks shared many more papers about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These papers were like a diary that told what really happened during the wars.
The papers showed that:
Many more people got hurt in the wars than we knew about
Some soldiers didn't follow the rules
Leaders sometimes didn't tell the whole truth about what was happening
Big Trouble Starts
The people in charge got very angry. They said Julian was causing trouble by sharing these secrets. It was like when you tell on someone who did something wrong, and they get mad at you for telling.
What Happened: The U.S. government started looking for ways to stop WikiLeaks. They said sharing war secrets was dangerous.
Friends and Enemies
Some people thought Julian was a hero. They said he was brave for showing the truth about war. Other people said he was bad for sharing secrets that should stay hidden.
Big newspapers like The New York Times helped WikiLeaks tell these stories. They were like teammates working together to share important news with everyone.
Staying Strong
Even though many powerful people were angry, Julian kept going. He believed people needed to know the truth about wars.
"If we don't know what's happening in wars, we can't make them better," Julian would explain to people who asked why he shared these secrets.
The World Changes
After WikiLeaks shared these war secrets, things were different. People started asking more questions about wars. They wanted to know what was really happening.
Julian became famous around the world. Some people wanted to give him prizes for being brave. Others wanted to put him in jail for sharing secrets.
Big Change: WikiLeaks showed that in our modern world, big secrets are harder to keep. The internet makes it easier for truth to come out.
But the biggest challenges were still ahead. The powerful people who were angry about the war secrets were getting ready to fight back. Julian would soon face the hardest days of his life. ⚡Fighting Back Against Power
The big people in charge were very mad about WikiLeaks showing their secrets. In 2010, things got really hard for Julian. It was like when a small kid stands up to a big bully - scary but brave!
Big Problem: The U.S. government said Julian was being bad by sharing their secret messages. They wanted to catch him!
Secret Messages Come Out
WikiLeaks shared lots of secret messages that important people wrote to each other. These were called "diplomatic cables." It was like reading the private notes teachers pass to each other!
"People should know what their leaders are really saying," Julian told reporters. "No more secret plans!"
Money Problems
Big banks like Visa and PayPal stopped letting people give money to WikiLeaks. It was like when someone takes away your piggy bank!
But Julian's friends around the world found new ways to help. They used special internet money called Bitcoin to keep WikiLeaks going.
Running and Hiding
Julian had to move around a lot to stay safe. He stayed with friends in different countries. Some days he slept in train stations or parks. ♂️
Scary Times: Some people said Julian should go to jail forever. Others said even scarier things about hurting him.
Friends Turn Away
Some of Julian's old friends stopped helping him. They thought he was sharing too many secrets. It was like when your best friend starts playing with someone else instead of you.
The things people said about Julian changed too:
Some called him a hero who helped people know the truth
Others said he was dangerous and should be stopped
Many weren't sure what to think about him
Standing Strong
Even with all these problems, Julian kept WikiLeaks going. He said it was more important to tell the truth than to be safe and comfortable.
"I'm not stopping just because some people are mad," Julian said. "The truth is too important!"
The World Watches
People all over the world watched what was happening to Julian. Some had big protests to support him. Others wrote mean things about him on the internet.
Big Question: Should someone be punished for telling secrets if those secrets show that powerful people did bad things?
New Ways to Fight
Julian and his friends found clever ways to keep working. They used special computer tricks to hide from people trying to stop them. It was like playing a big game of hide and seek!
But Julian knew he couldn't run forever. He needed to find a safe place to stay. The next part of his story would be about finding that safe place, even if it meant being stuck in one building for a very long time.Finding Shelter in Strange Places
In 2012, Julian needed a safe place to hide. He was like a rabbit looking for a burrow to escape from big, scary wolves!
Big Change: Julian ran to a special building in London called the Ecuadorian Embassy. It became his new home for many years!
A Tiny New Home
The embassy was small - about the size of a school classroom. Julian had a little bed, a computer, and a few other things. No yard to play in, no fresh air to breathe.
"It's like living in a space station," Julian told his friends. "But at least I'm safe here."
Daily Life Inside
Julian tried to make the best of his tiny space:
He exercised by...
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