The Norwegian politician who proposed WikiLeaks for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize stated that the anti-secrecy website has been nominated, even though the deadline for nominations had passed. The Norwegian Nobel Committee accepts nominations for the prestigious award until February 1, with panel members having until the end of the month to make their own proposals. According to Norwegian parliamentarian Snorre Valen, WikiLeaks is a significant advocate for freedom of speech and transparency in the modern era by exposing corruption, human rights violations, and war crimes. Valen believes that WikiLeaks is a strong candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize due to its contributions. Nominations can be made by members of national parliaments, law or political science professors, and previous winners. The committee has refused to make any comments regarding the proposal from WikiLeaks or any other nominations. The release of secret documents and diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange has angered Washington, as they believe it has damaged US interests and peace efforts. Assange, an Australian, is facing extradition to Sweden from Britain for questioning in a sex case, which he and his supporters claim is a smear campaign to shut down WikiLeaks, a non-profit organization funded by the public and rights groups. Awarding the Nobel Prize to WikiLeaks could lead to criticism of the Nobel Committee, which has been controversial in its recent choices of Liu Xiaobo and President Barack Obama. The Nobel Prize was established by Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, with the intention of recognizing those who promote peace among nations and work towards reducing standing armies. In recent years, the committee appointed by the Norwegian parliament has broadened Nobel's definition to include areas such as human rights, climate activism, and micro-financing, a move that has faced criticism from traditionalists. Observers of the Nobel Prize believe that awarding a prize to WikiLeaks would demonstrate the increasing influence of specialized Internet platforms and social media in driving global change. Platforms like Twitter and YouTube have played a crucial role in organizing protests in countries where the official media is tightly controlled, like Egypt. Kristian Berg Harpviken from the PRIO peace think tank in Oslo suggested that the innovative use of technology for promoting peace could be a key theme for this year's Nobel Prize, and he predicted that the prize would likely be awarded to a woman, possibly to the Russian human rights group Memorial and its leader, Svetlana Gannushkina, following a series of male recipients.