A news stand in London displays newspapers, some carrying the story on WikiLeaks' release of classified U.S. State Department documents. The online whistleblower WikiLeaks released classified U.S. diplomatic cables that reportedly raise concerns about unflattering assessments of world leaders and revelations about backstage U.S. diplomacy. (Sang Tan/Associated Press)On Nov. 28, 2010, Wikileaks began publishing more than a quarter million leaked United States embassy cables. WikiLeaks says the documents show how the U.S. kept tabs on its allies and on the UN, turned a blind eye to corruption and human rights abuses in states it supported, and how American officials described foreign leaders.

A month earlier, WikiLeaks released documents that suggested the U.S. turned a blind eye to hundreds of reports of abuse, torture and murder by Iraqi police and soldiers.

On July 25, 2010 WikiLeaks published nearly 77,000 secret U.S. military and intelligence documents that revealed new details about the war in Afghanistan, including the close relationship of the Pakistani military with Afghan insurgents.

At the time, the posting of those documents was described as the largest leak in American military history since the Pentagon Papers in 1971.

What is WikiLeaks?

WikiLeaks describes itself as the "uncensorable wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis."

It releases previously classified information directly to the public.

According to its mission statement its "primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East."

It was originally based in Sweden and had collected 1.2 million leaked documents when it started posting documents in 2007.

Why was it started?

The founders say that WikiLeaks protects people who want to bring government and corporate misconduct into the public domain.

It allows individuals to anonymously publish previously classified, hidden or sensitive documents.

The site, which has won multiple awards, says its aim is to make governments more open to scrutiny.

"We believe that transparency in government activities leads to reduced corruption, better government and stronger democracies."

WikiLeaks says that obtaining this information has traditionally been costly, both in terms of human life and human rights. But technological advances mean that the risks of conveying information can be lowered.

Who runs it?

The website is run by a group of volunteers and is supported thorough donations. It was originally the project of a company called the Sunshine Press.

The site had trouble securing funding and went through a period of near-bankruptcy. In 2009 it was temporarily shut down, before re-launching in 2010.

Australian Julian Assange is one of the people who founded the website in 2006. He describes himself as a member of the board and editor-in-chief of the site. He says he is a volunteer, like the rest of the people who work for the site.

Assange has no home address and changes locations frequently.

According to the Times newspaper, Assange was one of six people arrested for hacking NASA's computers while the Atlantis shuttle launched in 1989. While he was not implicated in the NASA attack, he was charged with more than 30 counts of computer crime, placed on a "good behaviour bond" and fined more than $2,000.

Assange is currently under house arrest in Britain fighting extradition to Sweden over allegations that he had unwanted, unprotected sex with two female WikiLeaks volunteers during a trip to Stockholm in August 2010. The allegations were initially dismissed but the investigation was reopened after the intervention of a Swedish politician.

How does it work?

When WikiLeaks was launched, users were invited to submit directly to the site but as more and more documents began to overload its servers, WikiLeaks changed its all-access posting rule. It now requests submissions from leakers.

WikiLeaks volunteers determine whether a document is legitimate and calculate its overall relevance and importance.

The site says it assures protection and anonymity using cryptographic technologies. It also collects material in person and from postal dropoffs.

The site's servers are spread out over several international locations and do not keep logs.

The team also has a network of lawyers to defend published documents and protect sources.

What other notable leaked documents has it published?

• Aug. 31, 2007: Wikileaks releases a report by the international investigative firm, Kroll Associates, that alleged that former Kenyan president Daniel Arap Moi and his associates looted billions from the country's treasury. The report, commissioned by the Kenyan government, was submitted in 2004, but never acted upon.
• Nov. 7, 2007: A copy of standard operating procedures for Camp Delta – the U.S. Army detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba – dated March 2003 reveals some of the restrictions placed over detainees at the camp, including the designation of some prisoners as off-limits to the International Committee of the Red Cross, something that the U.S. military had previously denied.
• April 5, 2010: Wikileaks releases classified U.S. military video from a series of attacks on July 12, 2007, in Baghdad by a U.S. helicopter. Twelve civilians were killed including two Reuters news staff.

With files from Denoja Kankesan