Wikileaks - Page 2

Originally posted by: Summer3

Wonder if wikileaks also cover the discovery of ghosts and spirits and vampires.

Originally posted by: Summer3

Wonder if wikileaks also cover the discovery of ghosts and spirits and vampires.

Imagine if such a leak were to happen in India....

Originally posted by: crazy_sunny

I'm sure with the legal suits as well as organizational and behavioral changes in government, we will come to terms with internet just like we did with other forms of quick information in the past.

"come to terms " uh- how so ? 😕

There have been situations like this in the past whenever a new media stream was introduced. Print, radio and television all have done leaks and exposes where some confidential/hidden aspect of government or business was revealed. As you said there has to be balance and over time with new laws, changing behaviors and models - a balance has been achieved. In fact to some extent we are still balancing television media in society.

The internet is a technology that has so quickly evolved - social media spread like a wildfire that its been a whole new challenge to keep up. There are benefits to leaks like this. Watergate was good for American society. To many people in the world this is exposing American government. There is so much corruption in India that many people will agree a massive leak expose on our government will give public the right incentive to be social vigilantes for our government. It is the power like this that the ordinary people can still wield is that prevents our world from becoming a total 1984 or Brave New World.

Either way, yes balance is the key and with all the lawsuits, DOS attacks and various forms of action - balance will be drawn. Even with DRM we are coming to balance between the DRM of big business and the Kopimi of Pirate Bay and Co.

well yeah its good that it has the potential to keep corruption at bay. Obviously you need to regulate it, but what doesnt need to be regulated. The amout of food you eat, amount of work you do, same applies here :)

All the leaks will lead to greater suspicion unless full facts and circumstances are taken into account. Leaks I understand is incomplete.
Our Govt too is in the lurch over certain comments made.

Netaji to 2G: Indian Wikileaks I'd like to see

Anshul Chaturvedi
30 November 2010, 04:33 PM IST

^^

Great find. I would love to see Indian wikileaks someday. Many of these wikileaks have occurred because someone deep in the system decided that the people deserve to know the truth about something and breached confidentiality. Somehow even with anonymous Wiki, I doubt when one Indian within the system will decide people need to know. By then Wikileaks shut na ho joye.

Initially, I perceived the Wikileaks as the freedom of the internet gone too far. I did not follow the stories or the leaks closely to formulate a stable opinion. However, of late I have been listening a lot to progressive talk radio in the extended periods of commute (Mic 92.1). Apart from the congressional not so lame lame duck session a lot of discussion has focused on Wikileaks and its significance. Of course I have to admit this is the ultra-liberal slant on it.

The argument against Wikileaks is that they are guilty of treason/treachery. They are being accused of doing something that is illegal. Many believe that sensitive information that could aide terrorists and harm innocents. But is Wikileaks really the villain that we paint it to be? Is the cause that Wikileaks represents evil or noble?

Knowledge is power. The more people know, the more informed people are. This is especially true with politics. People have the right to know. Should we not know what is being discussed or done behind closed doors, especially when that information is critical to our lives and our future.

Think of the world depicted in 1984. Big Brother rules with the principle "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength". It is a world where people are kept in the dark, making them ignorant and easy to control. If knowledge is not disseminated or kept in a controlled source, the ordinary people lose to Big Brother like powers.

Of course all knowledge cannot be shared. There is sensitive information that public is not trained or capable of handling with rationality. Information on intelligence, war etc can be dangerous in the wrong hands. However, there is a limit to secrecy, there is a tipping point.

Look at it this way. Shady, underhand and questionable activity exists in all government and organization. A certain level of corruption exists. This machine continues to work because those involved benefit from it. They either receive compensation or risk losses if the machine is broken. Not just that sensitive information is protected by many layers. There are very drastic and averse repercussions if one breaks or betrays the system.

What causes a person do break this trust or betray the system? Let us remember Wikileaks is not paying their informants. People get no monetary benefit from publishing secret documents to Wikileaks. They get no social recognition and risk everything if caught. If the actions being done outweigh the conscience and a person feels the average man is being betrayed, they take such a drastic action.

One such person was Private Bradley Manning who first catapulted the Wikileaks phenomenon to prominence with the Collateral Murder video. War is difficult. Even if the war is for right purposes, sometimes many wrong things are done. Many people feel that 'Collateral Murder' is an acceptable effect of war. However, it did not set well with Private. Manning's conscience and he wanted the world to know about the details so we as a society could look at this issue and discuss it. Now he is not only risking court martial, but is being held in isolation, and is considered a person of interest even in the cable leaks. Perhaps he broke the military code of honor, but many people including military personnel he is not a villain but a hero. In my opinion something like Collateral Murder is something that should come on the table for discussion, people ought to know.

To address the questions about Wikileaks

Is it treason/treachery?

The question we have to ask is whether truth is treachery? We have to consider if someone has betrayed a government or the country or the people. Wikileaks has not betrayed the people or any nation. In fact it has served several nations and people by providing them with truth about their elected officials and their governments. It has brought several ethical debates and concerns from being swept under the rug out on the table for the people to discuss.

Is Wikileaks illegal?

What Wikileaks has done is no different from what the New York Times did in 1971 with the publishing of the Pentagon papers. Back then another military official Daniel Ellsberg,disillusioned with war, wanted to give the people true and accurate information on the war in Vietnam. He leaked the Pentagon Papers which New York Times published.

The United State Supreme court declared a 6-3 vote in favor of New York Times, Washington Post and several other newspapers citing "Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government. And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to distant lands to die of foreign fevers and foreign shot and shell."

Wikileaks is doing just that. In fact it is informing people of activity by their governments that could be deceptive or even borderline illegal or in violation of international norms. In fact many countries riled in corrupt governments, authoritarian governments could benefit from Wikileaks.

Many nations are taking action against Wikileaks, so the legality may change. It is yet to see whether the Pentagon Papers will serve a precedent or whether government secrecy and authority will take precedence over free and unrestrained press. Also to be noted that many newspapers and sites have continued to publish all Wikileaks content. If a legal case ensues it will have to address press from across the world utilzing wikileaks, wikileaks replicas and Wikileaks directly catering to free press.

Is Wikileaks aiding terrorists or harming people?

No Wikileaks has not released information that will aid criminals or terrorists. No evidence has been found of harm caused by Wikileaks. People who are leaking to Wikileaks are not people who want to cause harm, they are people who want to inform. They are not leaking information that would harm people, they are leaking information that gives people the truth.

The Organization of American States, Brazil, Venezuela, Russia and many countries have praised Wikileaks. Russia has praised Wikileaks despite threats of a Russian document release. Even the United Nations has praised Wikileaks for upholding free speech and press.

Wikileaks also exposed diplomatic information about volatile states like Iran and Pakistan, that gave public clearer pictures.

In conclusion just as V stated 'People should not fear government, government should fear the people'. It is doing just that. The next set of Wikileaks releases is claiming to provide vital information on private companies and the economic crisis. Even corporations will be held accountable for unethical, extra legal and illegal activities by them. Even though many countries are against Wikileaks, they are still planning to strengthen whistleblower protection and rights so that information can be available through proper channels.

Thats my take, of course I am sure there is a counterpoint that Wikileaks does more harm than good. Only time will tell and yes there are many legal and ethical concerns that can hold against WIkileaks too.