AUSTIN, Texas — Embattled WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange made a rare onstage appearance at SXSWi on Sunday via Skype in a wide-ranging conversation about the NSA and WikiLeaks' role in the political discourse and online communications over the past decade.
The interview, conducted by Benjamin Palmer of the creative agency Barbarian Group, was marred by technology issues for those at SXSW as well as those trying to view the live stream online.
See also: 7 Landmark Tech Laws Passed in 2013
Assange answered questions from Palmer and curated from the hashtag #AskAssange on Twitter. It was less of a conversation than an opportunity for Assange to pontificate at length; the session was filled with talking points and sound bytes for which the WikiLeaks founder has become known.
Perhaps Assange's most powerful statement was when he remarked that "we are all part of what we would traditionally call the state, whether we like it or not. We now have no choice but to attempt to manage the behavior of the state." He asserted that new leaks were coming, but wouldn't give specifics or a timeline. He went on to criticize journalists who seek comments from the state or government officials before publishing leaks, arguing that doing so "gives notice to the perpetrators, giving them a chance to prepare spin."
Assange was also heavily critical of the NSA and other global security agencies. He criticized Mark Zuckerberg's statement in a recent interview that we live in a "post privacy world," calling it simply a distraction that helps feed Facebook's revenue model. Assange added that Zuckerberg's statements obscure or distract from the "unprecedented theft of wealth from the majority of the population to the people that already have power."
Interestingly, the revelations that fueled most of Assange's specific talking points didn't come from WikiLeaks, but rather Edward Snowden, the former NSA analyst responsible for a deluge of NSA leaks. Assange praised Snowden and reporter Glenn Greenwald, saying he found it "hard to imagine that any reporter in the U.S. could have done a better job or been braver."
While most of Assange's criticisms were aimed at the NSA and other security agencies, he also expressed concern about private entities such as Google and the company's massive collection of data.
Technical issues aside, most attendees agreed that while the talk was interesting, it contained little (if any) new information; the "conversation" was entirely one-sided, allowing for no back-and-forth, broader discussion or followup.
While Assange may not have shared anything new or enlightening with the audience, the fact that he chose SXSW as a platform to share his views speaks volumes about the level of gravitas the conference has earned. Next time, we'd just like to have more discussion — and better audio.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.