It used to be that a numbered account would not yield its secrets, no matter how loud the police banged on the door.

FORBES: Vigilantes Needed

These days a numbered Swiss bank account is not what it was.

ECONOMIST: Filthy lucre is out, clean lucre is in

The Swiss headed off unwelcome inquiries by making it illegal for banks and their employees to provide information about their clients' financial affairs, and soon found that the anonymity of a numbered Swiss bank account attracted other foreigners too.

ECONOMIST: Filthy lucre is out, clean lucre is in

WikiLeaks would serve as a kind of numbered Swiss bank account, where information could be anonymously exchanged. (The system would allow the source to impose a deadline on the reporter, after which the document would automatically appear on WikiLeaks.) Assange has been experimenting with other ideas, too.

NEWYORKER: No Secrets