Amazon UK에서 WikiLeaks 발췌 판다

2010/12/10 03:12

  돌아다니다 아마존 영국 사이트에서 위키리크스 발췌 문서를 판다는 기사를 보았다. 미국및 내로라하는 여러나라 정치와 외교 주변을 신경 곤두서게 만들었던 비밀 보고 문서가 보통 책처럼 저렴한 가격에 공개되었다. 미국 아마존이 위키리크스를 호스팅하다가 자기네 서버에서 내보냈는데, 영국 아마존에서는 전자출판해서 판다니, 의아하면서도 재미있다. 

  이 전자책은 모바일 폰이나 컴터에서 볼 수 있도록 되어있다고 한다. 오리지날 케이블 (각국 주재 대사관에서 본국으로 송신한)중 발췌한 것, 그것이 공개되었을 때의 미디어와 정부 관계자들의 반응 등을 담았다 한다.

  아마존 미국이 서버에서 위키리크스를 내보낸 것과 비슷한 이유로 다른 미국 기업들도 위키리크스를 어렵게 하고 있다. 위키리크스에게 기부할 수 없도록 MasterCard Inc., Visa Inc. and PayPal 등이 송금 서비스를 중지하였다고 한다. 예전에 Paypal이 노무현 재단에 기부금을 보낼 수 없도록 한 것이 기억난다.

  노암 촘스키가 공개, 비공개된 미국 정부 자료를 꿰뚫어 서구 특히 미국 중심의 세계 정치와 경제를 장악한 숨은 지도를 찾아내고 그것이 형성해온 역사를 보여주고 있다면 줄리안 아센지, 위키리크스는 원재료를 폭로함으로서 신문, 방송 등의 미디어 기업의 시선과 해석(조작?)에 의지하지 않고 독립된 어떤 것을 갖도록 해준다는 점에서 영웅이다.

 

Amazon's UK site selling WikiLeaks excerpts 

By DANA WOLLMAN

AP Technology Writer (AP:NEW YORK) Portions of the diplomatic cables contained in WikiLeaks are available for sale on Amazon's U.K. website, an odd twist after the company ousted the organization from its hosting service.

Excerpts from some of the 250,000 classified documents were contained in a Kindle e-book self-published by an author listed as Heinz Duthel. The book isn't available in the U.S.; people in the U.K. can buy it for 7.37 pounds ($11.60). 

WikiLeaks has embarrassed Washington in recent weeks for exposing a trove of sensitive diplomatic documents, some of which contain brutally frank assessments of foreign governments. The e-book, viewed by The Associated Press in London, consists of excerpts along with reports on reaction to the releases from media and government officials. It also has a list of the cables by originating embassy. 

Amazon later added a disclaimer to that effect to the book's product page. "This book contains commentary and analysis regarding recent WikiLeaks disclosures, not the original material disclosed via the WikiLeaks website," it reads. 

The e-book does contain the original WikiLeaks material, but more in the form of excerpts than as entire cables. In some respects, the e-book isn't going much beyond what a blog or a news organization might publish.  The title is an electronic book available for Amazon's Kindle e-reader and the company's software for reading Kindle books on mobile phones and computers. Amazon allows authors to submit their own works and shares revenue with them. 

WikiLeaks has been migrating around the world, using Internet companies in different countries to host the site. Last week, Amazon.com Inc. ousted WikiLeaks from its servers, citing a violation of its terms of service. Other U.S. companies have also attempted to distance themselves from the leak. MasterCard Inc., Visa Inc. and PayPal have all made it impossible for people to donate money to the organization behind WikiLeaks. A Visa credit card was used by the AP to buy the Kindle e-book, underscoring the difficulties private companies have trying to stop the flow of information. 

WikiLeaks' website, founded by Julian Assange, allows people to access the documents directly instead of forcing them to rely on newspapers and other media organizations to reprint excerpts. 

Duthel, the book's listed author, also sells self-published books such as "Julian Assange. The Whistleblower. Traitor or Hero?" and "Secret and Intelligence Service Encyclopedia." Another is "Discovering Asian Women." 

This isn't the first time Amazon has come under fire for selling a controversial book. Last month, Amazon was found to be selling a self-published guide that offered advice to pedophiles, raising questions about how _ and if _ it vets the self-published books it sells. The book later disappeared, but it wasn't clear whether Amazon or the author had pulled it.
 ____ 
 AP writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.