The industrious netizens of Reddit.com have discovered what appears to be a dating profile created by Julian Assange. The profile is written under the fake name "HarryHarrison," describes what Assange is looking for in a woman, and includes a slew of unmistakable pictures of the WikiLeaks founder. Is it authentic? It's impossible to know for sure. The reason so many bloggers are taking it seriously is because the account was last modified in 2006, long before Assange become a household name and before people would likely create a fake account for him.


In the self-summary section, "Harrison" describes himself:

WARNING: Want a regular, down to earth guy? Keep moving. I am not the droid you're looking for. Save us both while you still can.

Passionate, and often pig headed activist intellectual seeks siren for love affair, children and occasional criminal conspiracy. ...

I like women from countries that have sustained political turmoil. Western culture seems to forge women that are valueless and inane. OK. Not only women! ...

I am DANGER, ACHTUNG, and ??????????????!

Later on, he describes himself as being professionally involved in "international journalism/books, documentaries, cryptography, intelligence agencies, civil rights, political activism, white collar crime and the internet." He also boasts that he has following of "asian teengirl stalkers" and a penchant for "non-conformist" women. Here's what bloggers are making of the profile and whether or not it matters:

• It Sounds Like Vintage Assange, writes Adrian Chen at Gawker:

It certainly demonstrates the self-mythologizing Assange prefers, casting himself as an enigmatic, globe-trotting nerdy sex god... And he boasts that he is currently "directing a consuming, dangerous human rights project which is, as you might expect, male dominated."

• I Agree, writes Joe Coscarelli at The Village Voice:

Is it real? Barring some expert fan fiction writing and hacking, yes it probably is. If the profile was indeed last accessed in 2006, it seems far too early in Assange's ascent for anyone to be creating a fake profile, except maybe close and playful friends, which Assange doesn't seem to have. Existence of the profile seems to have been first noted at this random Blogspot on Saturday (h/t Hunter Walker) and since, Reddit members have been obsessively looking for evidence to support its authenticity.

• It's a Telling Profile  "The Julian Assange on OkCupid seems like any pretentious outcast looking for love on the Internet, if more arrogant and vaguely misogynist," writes Mike Vilensky at New York Magazine. "It's clear, however, that even back in '06, he was pretty sure that he was heading toward serious international intrigue, as he was also seeking a siren for 'occasional international conspiracy.'"
  

• This Is Pure Character Assassination "All that can really be said about him here is that he has a typical male sexuality," writes Black Candy at Open Salon. "There's really nothing embarrassing.  I'm sure 6 and out 10 guys have similar dating profiles. The only difference is no one cares because they're not important enough." Alexis Madrigal at The Atlantic adds: "This is a complete and utter distraction from the serious things going on with WikiLeaks' release of State Department cables."

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John Hudson