Wikileaks: dangerous, embarrassing, or performing a public service?

[wendymr]

I'm curious. (Okay, I'm probably also bored; see the snowmageddon post for reasons!). Wikileaks has been in the news a lot lately - so much so that, if you weren't aware of that, I have a rock you can continue to hide under ;)  Opinions differ considerably on the merits of the material being posted on Wikileaks, and on Wikileaks' existence at all.

Comments

[ponygirl72]

The US government is corrupt. Most other governments in the world are corrupt. The western world exploits the third world in the most terrible, inhuman ways and the vast majority of people seem not to care.

I have no illusions that, even if the entire contents of Wikileaks were required reading for every man, woman, and child, everyone would suddenly give a damn about what goes on around them and what they have voted for over the years. But maybe some of them would.

[wendymr]

I wouldn't go that far - though you won't be at all surprised by that ;) I don't think governments are necessarily corrupt. Of course, some are, but I would tend to see most governments as imperfect but doing the best they can according to their beliefs. Even when the government is of a political hue I have no time for, I still wouldn't argue that it's corrupt

[dune_drd]

Echoing the ticky-box comments from further up. Looking at what has been leaked, I find most of it amusing (especially as the garbage that's come from Germany is ridiculous) and not really dangerous. But then I'm not a government. It's a nice eye-opener how the US sees other nations, at least, and I doubt it's even the highly confidential stuff. What I've read is commonplace gossip, not confidential information, which is shocking in itself.

Nevertheless, having read up on whistleblowing and Watergate yesterday, I am of the opinion like information should be free - what bothers me is not the leak of intel that isn't really intel, it's the fierceness with which the US tries to quell this. It borders on things the Chinese do to everything on the net that displeases them, and we must not go that way, whatever the pressure.

[trobadora]

what bothers me is not the leak of intel that isn't really intel, it's the fierceness with which the US tries to quell this

This, exactly.

[wendymr]

I really don't think that other governments would behave any differently, honestly: either in making those kind of unguarded and sneering comments in the first place, or in reacting this way when they leak out. British royalty, politicians and diplomats can be every bit as condescending, and even worse - did you hear about the fuss caused a couple of decades ago when Prince Philip was overheard referring to the Chinese as 'slitty-eyed'? (More racist gaffes from him here).

[trobadora]

I really don't think that other governments would behave any differently, honestly

And it would be just as wrong no matter who did it. (Not the gossip - the attempts at censorship, of course.)

[dune_drd]

Read this? THAT is the kind of stuff that should be in the evening news .

[emraldeyedauter]

I'm afraid I have to hide under the rock because I've never heard of wikileaks but then I don' get to see a lot of news and media anyway. With two young kids my world tends to centre around Ben 10 and Thomas at the moment. I'll probably join the real world again in a year or two.

[snakeling]

I'd like to remind some of the commenters above that Assange, being Australian, can't have betrayed the US. Australia is another matter, of course.

I hesitated between the valuable public service and the damp squib, but I went for the valuable public service in the end, because I really do think that while maybe 90% of the info they're releasing is of absolutely no interest, the other 10% uncovers things that I really prefer to know about my and other governments.

And honestly I think that both the way the US government (and Swiss, etc.) has tried to shut down Wikileaks, and the way the Assange rape case has been handled show a level of paranoia and censorship that deeply disturbs me.

[elbales]

I'd like to remind some of the commenters above that Assange, being Australian, can't have betrayed the US.

Thanks for this. It's been blowing my mind that a whole bevy of American politicians, who should damned well know better because it's their job FFS, are all calling for charges of treason to be levied. *headdesk*

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