Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, said Tuesday that the Internet is the most important method of spying ever created, and an obstacle to freedom of expression.
Speaking to British students at the prestigious Cambridge University, Julian Assange said that the Internet, particularly social network Facebook, is for the the governments one of the most important ways to spying on people.
He cited the case of using Fasebook in Egypt a few years that ended up in a miserable way for the users.
“There was actually an uprising on Facebook in Cairo three or four years ago. It was very small in size, and afterward (the network) has been used up to arrest the main users, who were then beaten, interrogated and detained”, said Assange.
“The Internet is the largest spying machine the world has ever known”, he said. “Increasing the power of this technology helps tyrannical regimes”, he continued. This is not a technology that promotes freedom of expression, it is not a technology that promotes human rights”, said Assange.
“It is rather a technology that can be used to establish a totalitarian regime with unprecedented intelligence”, he added.
But the Australian said again that its website Wikileaks has contributed to the outbreak of the recent riots in Arab countries, especially in Tunisia.