Julian Assange

The mysterious, silver-maned founder of the organization WikiLeaks may seem like a character out of a James Bond movie, but Julian Assange is most certainly for real. After publishing thousands of secret documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Assange's whistle-blowing website has continued to push boundaries, embarrass world leaders, and defy international law. But to what end? The WikiLeaks website says it facilitates "principled leaking" to shine a floodlight down the darkened corridors of world power. Assange himself has been lauded as a freedom of speech hero and attacked as a dangerous traitor, and no one seems quite sure which description is accurate. The Obama administration said his actions threaten national security, but the only thing he seemed unstoppable until two Swedish women brought charges of sexual misconduct, forcing him to fight extradition back home. As for the accusations, are they legit? We may never know for sure.