Amazon has kicked WikiLeaks off its servers. Amazon offers web hosting on Amazon Web Services, which WikiLeaks moved to after denial of service assaults forced the site to move itself elsewhere. WikiLeaks has established an epic controversy, and Amazon does not want to be tainted by it.
WikiLeaks off Amazon servers in protest
WikiLeaks, after its “Cablegate” series, was subject to an increasing number of distributed denial of service, or DDOS, attacks on the site. As a result, the site moved to Amazon Web Services. The Guardian reports that Senator Joe Lieberman asked businesses in The United States to start boycotting WikiLeaks which in turn had the Amazon Web Service kick the site off. The Twitter page that WikiLeaks has made it very clear that they felt Amazon needed to "get out of the business of selling books" if it isn't going to follow the first amendments while also saying "fine our $ are now spent to employ people in Europe" rather than people in the U.S.
Europe wants Julian Assange
The head of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has a warrant for his arrest from the Swedish government. The Christian Science Monitor reports that as a result of sexual assault charges, Assange has been a fugitive in Sweden from time to time. Interpol, the international police organization, has also issued a “red notice” for Assange, which calls for people to be arrested by any nation they are found in. It is not a binding warrant, only a suggestion. Both the United States and Assange's home country, Australia, have criminal charges being charged to him. Assange’s mother lately said in an interview that her son is principled and doing what he believes is right and “fighting baddies, if you like.”.
Outrage mounting
All of the releases by WikiLeaks have made some in the international community respond very strongly. The diplomatic cables are one of these releases of course. Julian Assange and his fate are unknown at the moment. It does seem that WikiLeaks might have a hard time operating in the future though.
Articles cited
The Guardian
guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/01/wikileaks-website-cables-servers-amazon?CMP=twt_gu
twitter.com/wikileaks
CS Monitor
csmonitor.com/World/Global-Issues/2010/1201/WikiLeaks-Julian-Assange-is-merely-fighting-baddies-says-his-mom
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