There has
long been the argument on what is too much when it comes to sharing secret
knowledge to the world. What is considered acceptable, and what is considered
to be truly classified. Julian Assange and his creation, WikiLeaks, have pushed
this line to its breaking point, causing U.S. officials to force him to remain
entrapped in an embassy, for fear of being arrested. But was what Assange
leaked all that bad? Does it deserve to be brought out in the open to the
public?
I
feel that this question of whether to categorize WikiLeaks as horrible or
ingenious is rigged. I think it depends completely on the situation. If it were
exposing military secrets, such as what Chelsea Manning did, then I would find
that it would need to be stopped. If WikiLeaks exposed a corrupt politician who
was for example transferring government funds into his personal bank account,
then I feel it was doing justice.
The problem with sites such as WikiLeaks is
the fact that everything has to be put into someone else’s perspective. Someone
could find something completely justifiable for being on WikiLeaks, whereas
another would find that it is putting our safety at risk. This inconsistency in
perspective is the root of all the problems. I don’t think it would be right to
shut down WikiLeaks, because it is a form of journalism in a way and it can
help our society, however, I feel like there could be a better way sort out
what is acceptable and safe to put out there, and what could really cause harm
to a country.
Overall, I've concluded
I am very torn on this decision, and have come to the conclusion that there is
no simple solution to Assange and his WikiLeaks. We will just have to wait and
see what becomes of this controversial site, and if it lives up to our
expectations, or burns down in flames. Only time will tell.
Very nice perspective on this topic, Abby!
ReplyDeleteBut don't you think that the citizens that elect those officials to office to keep the country safe and sound putting us at risk by attacking innocent people?
I think that WikiLeaks checks the power of the government and other groups and that's a good thing because WikiLeaks is like our eyes to special government progams like FBI, CIA and etc.
I agree with your opinon that it's really left up to perspective, but if that's all that mattered, nothing would ever be resolved. People are going to have an opposing perspectives no matter what, so I find that this is a situation that really doesn't have a yes or no, black or white answer.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what ends up happening!
Wow Abby I think what you wrote here is exactly what I would say if I had the knowledge you had(: I agree with everything you had to say. Ecspecially the fact that it totally depends on the situation to decide if Assange is a hero or a villain.
ReplyDeleteI'm also rather torn with this topic. Then again, I didn't know about Wikileaks until we brought up the subject in class. I find that there are certain aspects to why we would be either with him or against him. Now that you bring it up, I suppose it would be best to monitor the site just to see what happens and if future content would be subject to punishment.
ReplyDeleteSince I know how much you love my questions: referring to your conditions in the second paragraphs, what if the military secrets exposed had to do with corruption or illegal/immoral activities? Politicians aren't the only ones who get into trouble, after all. What classifies as a secret worth keeping when it comes to the armed forces?
ReplyDelete...Also, where are all of you people getting these awesome backgrounds?
I agree that WikiLeaks could be a bit more careful with the things they put out there for everyone to see, and you make a good point when you say that inconsistency is the root of the problem.
ReplyDeleteI'm also torn on my opinion on Assange and WikiLeaks. The outcome for him and for the site itself is a complicated question and there's not a straighforward or simple conclusion. It's hard to criticize a martyr for doing what he thought was right and I appreciate that he felt it was the right of the American public to know what's going on. At the same time, I don't know how much of a security risk it has posed for us or who else is reading, and using, the information besides American citizens. And that's what worries me the most.
ReplyDelete