Daniel Domscheit-Berg One of the creators of wikileaks Country: Germany

Biography of Daniel Domscheit-Berg

Daniel Domscheit-Berg, also known as Daniel Schmitt, was one of the founders of WikiLeaks. Born in 1978, he studied programming and computer science at the Mannheim Academy. After completing his education, he worked as a computer engineer at Electronic Data Systems in the United States, specializing in wireless technology and computer security.

In 2007, at the Chaos Computer Club conference in Berlin, Daniel met Julian Assange, with whom he had been communicating online. The idea of freely distributing truthful information appealed to Daniel, and Assange seemed to him like the creator of a new world free from lies. Inspired by this, Daniel chose the pseudonym "Schmitt" (after his beloved cat), got a tattoo of an hourglass - the emblem of the famous website, and left his promising position in a computer company to join WikiLeaks.

Since WikiLeaks was self-funded, money was always a challenge. In addition to gathering information, Daniel also took on the task of collecting donations. In 2009, he moved to Berlin, where he married Anke, a former textile worker who had received a computer education and worked for Microsoft. They both became members of the German Pirate Party, a political organization advocating for free access to information, transparency in government, and the protection of privacy.

In 2010, shortly after their official wedding, a scandal erupted within WikiLeaks. It started with Daniel's book, "Inside WikiLeaks," in which he not only revealed the inner workings of the Internet resource but also described his relationship with its founder. Daniel accused Assange of being authoritarian and despotic, mishandling finances, and even being cruel to his own cat. He also claimed that Assange had several illegitimate children whom he refused to acknowledge or support. According to Daniel, some of the published materials, particularly diplomatic correspondence, could pose a deadly threat to those involved.

Eventually, Daniel announced his departure from WikiLeaks and the creation of his own website, OpenLeaks. The concept of this new resource was to provide open, decentralized access to information with the ability for anonymous editing and transmission through intermediaries. OpenLeaks' domains were registered in September 2010, and Daniel proposed that the Chaos Computer Club's hacker team test the system's resistance to hacking. However, this idea was not well-received, and Daniel was accused of using the club for his own promotion.

OpenLeaks began operating in 2011 but its activity was later suspended and has not resumed to this day, despite Daniel's claims that he continues to work on the project. Currently, Daniel Domscheit-Berg lives with his wife and their adopted son in a historic house in Fürstenberg. Anke is actively involved in politics and plans to run for election to the Bundestag. Daniel gained considerable success with his book, which inspired the 2013 film "The Fifth Estate." The fate of the large number of unpublished files he took from WikiLeaks before leaving remains a mystery - whether they were destroyed or are still stored somewhere to this day.