Wikileaks Raises Questions of Privacy, Security

Earlier this month, a National Public Radio (NPR) report said that if American diplomacy were performed like a play, the recent release of confidential diplomatic cables by the organization Wikileaks would be equivalent to tearing away the curtains to expose all of the backstage conversations. The quarter of a million documents that were released on November 28 contained conversations between branches of the government and between the US and other countries from 1966 to 2010. Many of these were labeled “confidential,” and a few were given the higher classification of “secret.” None, however, were considered “top secret.” I can’t tell if that’s good or bad.

Wikileaks, the website that released all these documents to the public, is run by an Australian journalist named Julian Assange. Assange was recently arrested on charges of sexual assault, though many wonder if this charge would not have been investigated had he not released the private files and gained infamy in the process. This subject is clearly controversial, as some people call Assange a hero and defender of free speech, while others call him a criminal who endangered and embarrassed America. One document displayed a conversation between Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, James B. Steinberg, where they referred to the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Il, as a “flabby old chap.” Other odd and uncalled-for comments were made about other leaders around the world, offending and surprising many people. It is also relatively embarrassing to America that these files could be hacked in the first place. It draws concern over their lack of security, and the fact that the government doesn’t have the sense not to put all of its thoughts into writing. This incident has shown how the Internet has changed America — and how the concept of “privacy” has been changed.

Still, some will undoubtedly say that there was no need to release this information, as it did more harm than good. Along with giving America a reputation like a teenager among different countries — bad mouthing others and not being very careful to conceal anything — it hurts relationships with other countries, including many allies. However, the sheer fact of knowing the truth has an intrinsic value that can nearly counter this.

Should the government be keeping secrets from its people? Does it deserve this “punishment” because it was careless, because its files could be hacked by simply recording over a popular CD that was just lying around? Working for the United States government is a high-pressure job, demonstrated by the fact that Assange suggested that Hillary Clinton should resign if she was responsible for certain parts of the released texts. If the government is so irresponsible that it has lax security on confidential files, perhaps they deserve to suffer the consequences. The government should never keep secrets from the people, unless telling everyone would lead to an issue of safety, or if the process would be more inconvenient than the value of its results. Though the system of checks and balances is technically about balancing the power between the branches of government, the American people are also constantly “checking” the government. Without the truth, how can we keep this up?

It is also important to note that, before Assange released the documents, he sent a letter to the U.S. Department of State that included an invitation to “privately nominate any specific instances (record numbers or names) where the publication of information would put individual persons at significant risk of harm that had not already been addressed,” but they refused to be involved. Luckily for the American government, there wasn’t anything too harmful. However, the fact that America refused to get involved, even if something really important was on the line, says something about our government. This brings up question as to whether or not America has a chronic fear of “negotiating” with anyone below the law. Though nothing was put in danger from these releases, it was not the right choice to just let them be released when offered otherwise.

Those who consider Assange a hero and protector of our rights will agree that all citizens who vote, pay their taxes, volunteer for their cities or even just live in America deserve to know exactly what is happening in the government they support. Therefore, it is overall more positive than negative that these documents were released. Because the 250,000 documents could be given to the public via a Lady Gaga CD, the American government no longer deserves the privilege of confidentiality. Thanks to Assange, a flawed system in place for 44 years that allowed inappropriate communications has finally been set straight.

But it’s not that easy, because Assange’s action has had multiple impacts on our country. This is the embodiment of the consequences of what some are calling the “information age.” The fact that information can be hacked from halfway across the world and then told to everyone marks a new era, one that our parents or grandparents never even dreamed of.

Still, this is an invasion of privacy, and however necessary, it is no fun at all. From it, we’ve learned the hard way that the combination of carelessness and the Internet can lead to very bad situations.