After more than a decade in detention and exile, Julian Assange may be on the verge of prosecution for spilling American secrets. The WikiLeaks founder, imprisoned in the U.K. since 2019, this week faced an extradition hearing in a British court. U.S. lawyers told a judge that Assange's "bid to solicit, steal and indiscriminately publish classified U.S. government documents" put lives at risk. Assange, they said, went far beyond the bounds of journalism by encouraging leaker Chelsea Manning to steal the secret files that were published in 2010. 

But Assange's defenders said the American espionage charges are a form of "state retaliation" after being embarrassed by the disclosures, BBC said. WikiLeaks released top-secret files on Guantanamo detainees and a video depicting the U.S. military killing Iraqi civilians and Reuters journalists from an Apache helicopter. "Mr. Assange was exposing serious criminality," said one Assange lawyer.

What did the commentators say?
The charges against Assange are an "iniquitous threat to journalism, with global implications," The Guardian said in an editorial. "Journalists sometimes depend on whistleblowers." A successful prosecution could be a "death blow" to investigative reporting that reveals secrets the public has a right to know. 

"Even Julian Assange's critics should defend him," Thomas Fazi said at UnHerd. WikiLeaks exposed mass surveillance programs, corruption and civilian massacres. Those revelations proved that "nominally democratic states are willing to bend and even break the law to silence those who threaten the status quo."

WikiLeaks "did some good in its early years," The Economist said in 2019. But the decision to publish more than 250,000 cables "was malicious." Most of the messages revealed no misdeeds but put America's diplomatic sources at risk. "Neither journalists nor activists have carte blanche to break the law in exercising their First Amendment rights."

What next?
The British government decided in 2022 that Assange could be extradited, CBS News said. Assange is seeking the right to appeal that decision to the European Court of Human Rights. No ruling came at the end of Wednesday's hearing, and the judges "could take weeks to consider" their decision.

"If the court's decision goes against Assange, he must be extradited within 28 days," CNN said. If convicted, he faces up to 175 years in prison. Assange's wife, though, said his health is precarious. "His life is at risk every single day he stays in prison," Stella Assange said. "If he is extradited, he will die."

A boy peeks from the water in a flooded area due to the overflowing Batanghari River in Muaro Jambi, Indonesia 
Antara Foto / Wahdi Septiawan / Reuters

Many of us spend much of our time vacillating between screens, at work and in our personal lives. Technology is not inherently bad, but it may be time for a break when it becomes disruptive. Here are some tips for a successful digital detox. 

Stay in control
A key to fixing our relationships with devices is first to adjust how we think about our agency, Oliver Burkeman, the author of the time-management book "Four Thousand Weeks," said to The New York Times. It is important to remember the "idea of distraction as starting inside us and not simply being a case of evil Silicon Valley companies stealing away our focus," Burkeman said.

Set realistic goals
A digital detox can be anything you want, CNET said. It can be "refraining from using any type of technology, disconnecting from social media or just limiting daily screen time." For some of us, laptop and phone screens are integral to our workday, so completely disconnecting is not ideal. "Instead, you can opt to set screen time limits on your free time," CNET said. 

Go old school
It can be helpful to revert to old-school entertainment, organization and communication methods. It can "absolutely be helpful to downgrade from a smartphone if that is possible," social worker Jennifer Kelman said to Everyday Health. She said she relies on simple phones that cannot support apps with her children. "They have a simple call or text feature, and that's it," she said.