Image via Wikipedia
Let me say up front that I am not a massive fan of WikiLeaks. It seems to me that taking stolen correspondence and publishing it for everyone to read is a fundamentally sociopathic act, whether it is a rival’s love-letters or a government’s diplomatic cables. There’s no doubt that there’s a role for whistle-blowing journalism, but each betrayal of trust and privacy needs to be justified by the greater good it delivers, and I remain unconvinced that the cloud of hacktivists at WikiLeaks has taken on board that the demand for great responsibility to accompany great power also applies to them.
For me, it falls into the same category as The Pirate Bay; there’s plenty to disagree with in what they are doing, but the crisis they provoke is fundamental to the operation of the Internet. In reacting to WikiLeaks and The Pirate Bay, both business and government have shown their true colours when it comes to citizen liberty and software freedoms. What’s disclosed is not pretty.
Read on over at ComputerWorldUK…
Filed under: ComputerWorldUK, Issues | Tagged: Hacktivism, WikiLeaks |
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Strangely enough I think the exact opposite: We know Internet works because of sites like The Pirate Bay and Wikileaks. Maybe we’re not talking about the same Internet? How about you stick to your Internetz and I stick to mine if we can’t agree? Sounds like a good compromise? In fact, isn’t this the fundamental design of the loosely connected networks which we give the popular name “the internet”? You don’t have to connect if you don’t want to. To judge these sites, driven by popular demand, is to scorn democracy. Who says copyright is a good thing? Who would not say it was a morally good act to expose injustice and wrongdoing even if it was against the law? Ever been to China?
This is a surprisingly anti-intellectual post from you. 😦
Did you actually read the full article (at http://blogs.computerworlduk.com/simon-says/2010/12/the-internets-voltaire-moment/index.htm ) or are you just reacting to the introduction posted above? Your comment does not sound very related to my actual views as expressed in the full article…
I’m sadly reacting without thinking. Quite embarrassing.
It has been a long day.
No worries, I know those days. Would you like me to delete the comment and replies for you? It just takes a click…
Wikileaks doesn’t want greater responsibility from the current US government. The article below details quite clearly (yes, it’s lengthy by internet standards but well worth the time for anyone that wants to truly understand what Assange is after).
I wish Wikileaks all the best and hope they can keep doing their job for a long time.