Hiko said...
Lets cut to the chase here is it OK to hack into someones private correspondence
and broadcast it to the world or not? It seems that most on this forum think its Ok
Who is saying it is OK to hack into private conversation and broadcast it ?
I think the point with Wikileaks is they broadcast correspondence between governments.
Governments are established by the people to govern on behalf of the people.
I am one of the people, I even pay my taxes to society so I get to chose how I am governed.
I want to be governed in an open, honest and moral manner. If my governemnt is acting immorally, lying or failing to act then I want to know about it and I want it to stop.
There is no personnel correspondence when you are paid by the people to govern on behalf of the people. That principal was set in stone at Runneymead with the signing of the Magna Carter.
Now, having said all that, publishing correspondence between diplomnatic missions is not really very interesting. It shows the opinions of individuals who are generally very small fish in the wheels of governement and whose opinion is neither policy nor necessarily accepted as true, valid or even worthwhile by anyone else.
Wikileaks has the opportunity to whistleblow like nobody ever has before. But they have achieved nothing in 5 years.
Look at all the whistleblowers of recent times who have influenced world affairs - it has not been Julian Assange. It has been the free press and mass media (whom several people here condem at the expense of Wikileaks). Start adding up what has been broken in the mass media that has had signifcant effect :
Intern sucks off president
British MPs rort expenses
Pakistani cricketers take bribes
even Julian Assagne arrested on rape charges. Never got that story from Wikileaks before it was in the mass media !!
The world needs Wikileaks, but the world needs Wikileaks to whistleblow not sensationalise for maximum self publicity, there are plenty of other people that do that.