Wikileaks to move to Sealand?

As an fan of geopolitical anomalies, I was excited to see this Mashable item suggesting that WikiLeaks might move its servers to the Principality of Sealand, the 6,000 square foot former British military installation in the North Sea that since 1968 has been "ruled" as a sovereign nation by the highly entertaining Prince Roy Bates ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.
631579_sealand_0.jpg
631579_sealand_0.jpg

As an fan of geopolitical anomalies, I was excited to see this Mashable item suggesting that WikiLeaks might move its servers to the Principality of Sealand, the 6,000 square foot former British military installation in the North Sea that since 1968 has been "ruled" as a sovereign nation by the highly entertaining Prince Roy Bates and his family. Unfortunately, the Fox News story the item is based on seems purely speculative. And a Sealand URL still wouldn't protect any of WikiLeaks' operators from prosecution.

As an fan of geopolitical anomalies, I was excited to see this Mashable item suggesting that WikiLeaks might move its servers to the Principality of Sealand, the 6,000 square foot former British military installation in the North Sea that since 1968 has been "ruled" as a sovereign nation by the highly entertaining Prince Roy Bates and his family. Unfortunately, the Fox News story the item is based on seems purely speculative. And a Sealand URL still wouldn’t protect any of WikiLeaks’ operators from prosecution.

But, as Mashable notes, this isn’t the first time Sealand has been discussed as a possible data haven: 

Sealand did house the data hosting company HavenCo between 2000 and 2008, before operations ceased for unknown reasons. In 2008, according to Security and the Net, the file-sharing site PirateBay campaigned for donations to purchase Sealand and live in a “copyright-free nation.”

In other news, Sealand is currently "in talks" about forming a national rugby team. It must be a pain to get the ball back if it goes out of bounds. 

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

More from Foreign Policy

A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.
A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.

No, the World Is Not Multipolar

The idea of emerging power centers is popular but wrong—and could lead to serious policy mistakes.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.
The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.

America Can’t Stop China’s Rise

And it should stop trying.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.

The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky

The ethical calculations are less clear than you might think.