Julian Assange says that Latin American nations should follow the example of Russia and China.
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, urged the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) to create their own search engines and social networks in order to prevent digital spying. "The members of the regional bloc should follow the example of Russia and China, and develop their own search engines and networks, as alternatives to Google, Facebook and Twitter," Assange said in a video conference from the Ecuadorian Embassy in the UK. "Washington intercepts 98 percent of Latin American communications"
During the video conference at the National Meeting of Internet Governance, Assange said it was necessary for governments to invest in the Internet in order for their countries to achieve independence, freedom and sovereignty. He said that Google, Facebook and Youtube collect information for the U.S. National Security Agency.
Julian Assange took refuge in 2012 in the Ecuadorian embassy in London fearing extradition to Sweden, which he is being investigated for alleged sexual offenses and fearing his subsequent delivery to the US where he is accused of espionage. His website, WikiLeaks has released documents on controversial issues, notably about the massive U.S. spy investigations conducted in several countries.
