OpenLeaks, the alternative whistleblower site created by WikiLeaks defectors, has officially gone live, though it's not yet fully operational. The organization confirmed that it doesn't plan to publish information itself, but rather help third parties (such as nonprofits and news orgs) get access to leaked documents in order to convey them to the public.

The launch of OpenLeaks was spoiled somewhat by, ironically, a leaked PDF of its site contents published on Cryptome.org. The OpenLeaks news page seems to welcome this leak, but warns that not all parts of the site are complete yet and that it's still operating in an alpha phase. OpenLeaks plans to enter into beta in the second half of 2011, when it will begin working with NGOs, media, unions, and others to publish relevant information.

"OpenLeaks will not accept or publish documents on its own platform, but rather create many 'digital dropboxes' for its community members, each adapted to the specific needs of our members so that they can provide a safe and trusted leaking option for whistleblowers," reads the site. There's also an informational video on Vimeo that spells out the OpenLeaks process visually.

News about OpenLeaks began trickling in last November after a number of WikiLeaks members left the organization, reportedly due to disagreements with Julian Assange. A month later, an insider outlined OpenLeaks' mission to act as a neutral party "without a political agenda," and that it would be "democratically governed by all its members, rather than limited to one group or individual."

That "one group or individual" is clearly a reference to Julian Assange, who has become known as a control freak when it comes to managing WikiLeaks. Assange had reportedly accused several WikiLeaks members of being disloyal to the project, resulting in their departure from WikiLeaks and the birth of OpenLeaks.

Despite the backstory, the OpenLeaks FAQ tries to convey the feeling that there's no bad blood between the two groups. "While we fully support the stated goals of WikiLeaks, and wish them success, OpenLeaks is an independent project," reads the page. "OpenLeaks is, therefore, not an enhancement of, or a replacement for, WikiLeaks, nor is it a competitor. Rather, it is a complementary project providing capabilities other than those that WikiLeaks does, or can, provide."

As for which organizations will eventually leak the documents collected by OpenLeaks, the group says that half of its "members" will be handpicked by the OpenLeaks community while the other half will be able to go through a public application process. That won't happen until later this year, though, as OpenLeaks is still in the process of building its system to accept documents.