During one of my "TED sessions" I watched this video:
Julian Assange: Why the world needs WikiLeaks | Video on TED.com
it is about a Wikileaks, an "organisation" publishing confidential information that goes through the cracks in the system. It treated any kind of information and field: politics, economy, world peace/conflict, sociology and many more.
The main idea behind the interview is the role of this concept in the information world and its consequences.
That's what I'd like to point out briefly here.
I mean is it good or bad to give away info supposed to be kept secret.
My answer would be a "gray" one as always. In today's world we think to be and we demand to be more and more informed. So people should be told stuff, even critical ones as long as their security remains unharmed. Mainly these leaks hide information that is kept secret for the benefit of some individuals or for hiding "inglorious" military moments. In these cases, the truth should be known and the ones responsible brought upfront.
But information is also power, and as a comic-book uncle once said: "with great power comes great responsibility"; that is why I think that the impact of the information should be analyzed before its release. Because it can be really security-related, or of great psychological force or simply manipulative, and there are people who would not withstand the "shock" and could be led in certain directions using unfair means.
That is way in my slightly elitist view, I grant the governments the "right" to conceal critical data, and release it when the tides is gone, the sole interest being the well-being of it's citizens and of the entire planet. On the other hand I would prefer not to be fed crap; it consider that ignorance is better than lie. Last but not least, if the greater or lesser leaders fool around "off with their heads" metaphorically speaking; so this kind of media could be a great tool in the enlightenment of the people, just don't be like flies...too much light can burn.
As always, we're more or less stuck between two extremes: being kept in the dark and being assaulted with information we might not handle. I guess it depends on how much of a "ignorance is bliss" guy one is. And anyway, people who don't care will just ignore the info unless it's really thrown into their faces :D. The toughest point to decide here is whether the leaks may harm the country (or the state but it's not exactly the same) if they get loose too soon. on the other hand government incompetence is just as bad.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Dom