Assange tweeted out three hashtag numbers corresponding to encrypted files, presumably containing very damaging information, linked to John Kerry, Ecuador and the UK.
These would be the three players who would be involved in as political pressure operation to kick Assange out of the Embassy to arrest or assassinate him.
These were simply identifiers of unmarked and until now anonymous encrypted files.
The dead man switch is device under which Assange must actively execute some action at or before and pre determined time.
Presumably it would be needed to keep the data from automatically posting itself in public.
Preventing Assange from suppressing the public disclosure would be counter productive to John Kerry and the Democrats and it would also insulate Assange from any legal liability for the release of data by invoking an avatar unconnected to Assange as the publisher of record.
Unless they can tie Assange directly to the leaks, what can they convict him for?
In fact, Guccifer 2.0 may be just that sort of avatar
Oh, so the keys are now out there, the pin has been pulled from the grenade, if Assange doesn’t call it back or cancel it, it goes on its own. Pretty cool.
I would suspect that his dead man switch has two modes of activation. First mode is if he is dead the switch goes active and the files are release. Second mode is he must reactivate the dead man switch at periodic intervals and if not it goes active. Assange is no fool.