Poll: Wikileaks: Good or bad?

[Saucycarpdog]

Unless you live in some secluded rock, you have probably heard about the site called Wikileaks that recently released tens of thousands of secret papers. Some are calling the site a truth-seeking hero while others call it a threat to national security. The site itself has said that there is much more 'shocking' info they have yet to publish. I want to know your opinion on it.

My opinion is that it should stay. Unless it releases some nation-threatening info, I don't see much of a problem with it. As of right now, nothing of the above magnitude has really been released.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

I think it has potential for good and bad, kind of like Anonymous. The issue would be things taken out of context or distorted, and people getting fired, etc.

 

[Infinatex]

Who's national security I wonder...? I'd never actually heard about it until now.

 

[The Procrastinated End]

To those who don't know: they were a couple thousand leaked documents about the U.S. military.
And I really don't care, if it threatens national security they'll do something if not they will only talk.

 

[Berserker119]

Actually, the only place I've heard of this is LICD.

Spoiler

 

[Loonerinoes]

There is only one thing worse than a world with Wikileaks doing what it does.

And that is a world without it.

 

[infinity_turtles]

I'm a fan of Wikileaks.

 

[emeraldrafael]

Unless you live in some secluded rock, you have probably heard about the site called Wikileaks that recently released tens of thousands of secret papers. Some are calling the site a truth-seeking hero while others call it a threat to national security. The site itself has said that there is much more 'shocking' info they have yet to publish. I want to know your opinion on it.

My opinion is that it should stay. Unless it releases some nation-threatening info, I don't see much of a problem with it. As of right now, nothing of the above magnitude has really been released.

Its too bad the site only has stuff from a few years back that is really unconsquencial cuase most of it doesnt particularyly post a massive threat. The site is like a child throwing a tantrum. Let it have its moment and then keep ignoring it. I mean, its such a "big deal" and how many people didnt know?

and no, this isnt the first time i heard of it.

 

[jpoon]

I do like Wikileaks not holding back some things but they are well known to be holding back on other topics. That fact alone makes me not trust Wiki in a big way. I really am begining to think that Wikileaks is a government operation for co-intel pro.

Disinformation for the win!

 

[TimeLord]

Everyone has the right to know everything.

That includes anything hidden by the government!

 

[Nova5]

I don't live under a secluded rock and I have no idea what this thing is..

But anyway, I think it should stay, as long as it's in the realm of free speech. When it starts leaking military operational plans then it's probably not wise to keep it around.

Most of it was public information already. It's more of a compilation than anything else. A few things were revealed, but nothing that constitutes major 'news' if you follow the war from day-to-day.

I took the time to read through most of the reports, and have to say it's fairly unsurprising. It's just a shock to the public, since a lot of them don't realize that in war, lots and lots of civilians are going to die. As many of us gamers know, bullets don't form allegiances, and it's pretty easy to accidentally shoot a civilian or a comrade in a chaotic situation. Or sometimes call an air strike on the wrong building thanks to bad intel (as one US Special Forces team did in one instance highlighted by the BBC).

In the end, the military just doesn't like this kind of publicity, since it can lead to reduced budgets, early pull-outs (potentially destabilizing the region even more so), and the like.

 

[maturin]

Everyone has the right to know everything.

That includes anything hidden by the government!

K. What's your SSN?

 

[Nova5]

Ah, fair enough. That's not too bad then; sometimes it's good to make the public take their hands from their ears and listen to what's really going on. I wasn't sure whether they were leaking stuff that could get soldiers killed, such as field information that could easily fall into the wrong hands.

Totally - I'd say that would be a place to draw the line. The real sad thing is just how poorly the government is handling this. It really does feel like a child's hissy-fit. And the public do need to be reminded that our involvement is a serious matter, not to be dismissed as a 'tragic' news report that comes on every night during dinner.

Of course this is a PR nightmare for the military, but I'd feel a lot safer if the top brass could handle a 'crisis' without blowing it out of proportion. (A few generals and their PR guys were the first to say it 'endangered our troops', best as I can tell.)

 

[TimeLord]

Everyone has the right to know everything.

That includes anything hidden by the government!

K. What's your SSN?

SSN?

Edit: Oh social security number

Well obviously I don't mean stuff like that. I mean stuff like government spending. Whether the Iraq was legal or not. What is really at Area 51.

Not personal information

By the by my SSN is 098883000829300002927378748392920200002222

 

[TimeLord]

What is really at Area 51

Clearly, it is the Tardis.

[sub]I'm sorry, I couldn't resist with your avatar[/sub]

It's ok, you did the right thing

 

[Lord Beautiful]

I don't necessarily see it as something horrible in itself. Being that the documents are not beyond secret (a low-level classification), they'll provide little more than uncomfortable exposure of what happens over there. Fine. Whatever.

What I fear is that WikiLeaks ends up becoming a collection of documents showing occurrences from the side of the American soldiers, and no more, used for smearing the military as though it were actively hunting down women and children.

 

[Hiphophippo]

I'm a huge proponent of free speech, but at the same time I'm also a fan realism. Being realistic tells me that regardless of what horrible things are leaked there will always be people that ignore, willingly or unwillingly the leaked information.

But even then, can a country or world full of people really be trusted to act rationally in the face of life changing news? Aliens, for example. Let's say they're real and that the world's governments are covering it up. Might be best that they do. Can you imagine the mass hysteria that would happen if they didn't?

 

[AndyFromMonday]

The people should be aware of everything that their government is conducting. The government has no right to hide shit from the people. They are there to serve the people, not rule it. Unfortunately that has not been the case for the past 200 years. I agree with what Wikileaks is doing. It's shedding some light on recent events that the government failed to properly report on.

 

[manaman]

Everyone has the right to know everything.

That includes anything hidden by the government!

I don't think the goverment should be able to hide much, but you have to admit there is sensitive information. Troop movements would be an obvious one. Had I any control over the matter nothing would be considered sensitive forever, and eventually all information would be released, it would then be up to people reviewing later to hold the goverment accountable for things it shouldn't have hidden in the first place.

 

[octafish]

I don't necessarily see it as something horrible in itself. Being that the documents are not beyond secret (a low-level classification), they'll provide little more than uncomfortable exposure of what happens over there. Fine. Whatever.

What I fear is that WikiLeaks ends up becoming a collection of documents showing occurrences from the side of the American soldiers, and no more, used for smearing the military as though it were actively hunting down women and children.

No, just murdering journalists. The footage of the two photographers being killed by US forces and then the killing of the family that tried to take survivors to hospital is how I first came across Wikileaks. As a newspaper photographer I'm all for the release of that footage and the recent document dump. I'm sure they won't endanger any soldiers or intelligence operatives, they aren't morons, unlike Dick Cheney.