We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks Page #4

---

leak was their biggest success to date.

SMARI MCCARTHY:
The loan book came

out and took the country by storm.

RUV, the national broadcaster, was

going to do a big segment on it.

And they got slapped

with an injunction.

[SPEAKING ICELANDIC]

This evening, we had intended

on releasing a full report

regarding the enormous credit

facilities made available by Kaupthing

to the various companies of its shareholders.

However, we are prevented from

doing so this evening...

BIRGITTA JONSDOTTIR: It was

the first time in our history

that a gag order was placed on the

state TV not to produce that news

just before they were

supposed to produce it.

So instead of doing nothing they

decided to put the website up.

[SPEAKING ICELANDIC]

MCCARTHY:

Up pops WikiLeaks- org

with this Kaupthing

loan book front and center,

and everybody goes online

and checks it out.

The guys at WikiLeaks definitely get

massive props for that. [CHUCKLES]

NARRATOR:
Later that year, a group of

young cyber-activists from Iceland

invited representatives

of the WikiLeaks organization

to come speak at

a conference in Reykjavik.

JONSDOTTIR:
Iceland and

WikiLeaks really fit.

This is something we really need in

our society, the media failed us.

So I was excited

to meet them.

Up until the day

before the conference,

we didn't know

who was going to come.

It could be a massive organization

or it could be a tiny organization.

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

Hello? Um...

Does that work? Okay.

DOMSCHEIT-BERG:
In the beginning

we had no funding at all,

we were not set up with

manpower nor organizationally,

so there was

a lot to improvise.

WikiLeaks, we haven't mentioned

that what we are doing right now

is still a proof of concept.

So in technical terms, we are in

a beta stage, so it's just...

We're not in a beta stage.

Well...

[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]

We're not in a beta stage as far as...

We're in a Gmail beta stage.

[BOTH CHUCKLING]

So we 're not in a beta stage in terms

of our ability to protect people.

In terms of...

Um...

[AUDIENCE CHUCKLING]

You could let me

finish my sentence.

Okay.

It was a really awkward

experience in some way

because we were just

so famous over there.

You work

for WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks is now

very famous in Iceland

because of the big

Kaupthing leak.

We got this letter

from the Kaupthing lawyers,

telling us that under

Icelandic banking secrecy law

we deserved one year

in prison.

So we thought we'd

come to Iceland...

DOMSCHEIT-BERG:

And see for ourselves.

...and see for ourselves.

[CROWD CHEERING]

[ASSANGE SPEAKING]

The banksters need to be

put on public trial

and given the justice

they deserve.

More power to you, Iceland!

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes