There is no one version of Julian Assange. Depending on who you speak to, the 52-year-old Wikileaks founder ranges from anywhere between criminal, treasonist and lunatic, to a freedom fighter and revolutionary. In 2010, he was the overwhelming winner of the popular vote for Time magazine’s “Person of the Year”. There were simultaneously calls for his assasination.
An editor, activist and hacker, Assange is best known for founding Wikileaks. Since 2006, the website has published millions of classified documents, including hacked emails from corporations and public figures, international trade agreements, and foreign government records, fundamentally shifting public perceptions about war and the power of the US state.
