Putting It All On the Line

Hey there, Parker here with my 2 cents about Wikileaks.  TV, radio and web (face it, who reads print anymore?), is all about Julian Assange.  He put it all on the line in as literal the term as possible.  He used the always on and always accessible power of the internet to eavesdrop (hack) sensitive, need to know, information and post it.

I don't agree with the cries of 'campaigner for truth' defending Assange because he showed no discretion or concern for the leaks and his audience, respectively.  I don't agree with his arrest either.

I do, however, agree with the 'need to know' status of some information.  In the case of the February 2009 leak regarding the US request for a list of key global facilities vital to national security.  That knowledge was important to our government but should not have been available for anyone with a computer and wi-fi connection.

The leak was not necessary and had the potential to cause harm and destruction on a mass scale.  Can you imagine the #hashtag used for that Twitter feed?  Exactly!

The world wide web has afforded us opportunities to learn about global events with a tap of a mouse.  We see how it can jeopardize the ability to protect information that concern public safety and security.  And we are witnessing in real-time online opinions from both sides of this situation.

I admit I'm a Snooki fan

Paris Hilton's perp walk, Lindsey Lohan's car crash and Snooki's drunk dancing was on the web as fast as the developer could code the streaming video.  Foul play wasn't called then because the object of attention in each case WANTED the publicity.

But the public need not be privy to the type of data collected for key UN officials and those who manage the requests for such bio and technical stats.  In the extreme case it undermines the very purpose of having the policy – to provide security for the officers and the United Nations organization itself.

Assange is all over the web and his fans are raging against the injustice for his trumped up charges (I agree the charges are trumped up). But in the short-term, Wikileaks seems to have done more harm than good for the very public it is supposed to represent.  Definitely not a win-win for either side.

That’s my rant for today.  In a 24 hour news cycle I’m sure tomorrow’s rant will be much different.

Best,
Parker