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I saw that publishing all over the world was deeply constrained by self-censorship, economics and political censorship, while the military-industrial complex was growing at a tremendous rate, and the amount of information that it was collecting about all of us vastly exceeded the public imagination.
Julian Assange
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote highlights the limitations on free publishing due to various censorships while contrasting it with the vast growth of information collection by powerful entities.

Julian Assange's quote reflects the increasing restrictions on open publication fueled by self-censorship, economic factors, and political pressures, amidst the rapid expansion of the military-industrial complex. He suggests that this powerful entity collects an immense amount of information on individuals, surpassing what the public is aware of, thereby raising concerns about privacy, freedom of expression, and the implications of such surveillance in society.

Themes

CensorshipInformationTruthSurveillanceFreedom

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about freedom of speech at a university event.

More from Julian Assange

The greater the power, the more need there is for transparency, because if the power is abused, the result can be so enormous. On the other hand, those people who do not have power, we mustn't reduce their power even more by making them yet more transparent.
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Every time we witness an injustice and do not act, we train our character to be passive in its presence and thereby eventually lose all ability to defend ourselves and those we love.
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You can either be informed and your own rulers, or you can be ignorant and have someone else, who is not ignorant, rule over you.
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The internet, our greatest tool of emancipation, has been transformed into the most dangerous facilitator of totalitarianism we have ever seen. The internet is a threat to human civilization.
Julian AssangeRead

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