Not if its in the interest of public in cases where it is revealing misconducts or information that has been distorted by a governing bodies and in such form previously distributed to the public. Free press, public watch dog... Ring any bells? No? Is California part of China now?
Quick questions for you:
1. Does every single page released by wikileaks contain proof of corrupting, or anything that "Watch dogs" can use to go after government?
If no...
2. Of the pages that do not incriminate the US GOvernmetn, how many can you garantee will not bring about some form of harm?
If you can't garantee them all, then...
3. Why the frack was wikileaks to lazy as to release everything, and not the important criminal activity stuff?
4. Why the frack are you people sticking up for wikileaks for releasing
every fracking page?
I have no problem with wikileaks finding and revealing documents that prove illegal action by the US Government, like a proper journalist with a sense of ethics and integrity. I have a huge problem with egomaniacs that don't care about people, or the results of their actions, and publish hundreds of thousands of harmful never meant to be public documents.
And that's the crazy thing. If the Documents released had been paired down to JUST the illegal activities, then top secret or not, no one could go after wikileaks for being anything but a hero. Companies might even start to back him up. But Wikileaks doesn't give a frack about helping the US people, or helping us fix our government. He carelessly broad casted every last page. THAT is what I take issue with. Does anyone honestly disagree with that? Doesn't anyone here honestly think that wikileaks used the proper quantity of discretion? That this Australian in Sweden gives a frack about the US public? Honestly people?
The funny and terribly sad thing about this entire discussion, is that I believe we all agree.
1. Documents that prove illegal activity by the US government, regardless of its secrecy level, should be brought to public attention.
2. Documents that are asinine and serve nothing but to embarrass/insult/undermine individuals, and/or causes an increased risk to an individuals safety, should not be brought to public attention.
Some of us believe more strongly in one than the other, but the fatal flaw most of you are demonstrating is the assumption that there was no way to separate the two. And quite frankly there is, given time. Wikileaks failed to separate the two, or even TRY to separate the two. For that, many of us dislike wikileaks, and for that many companies will not back them.
If Wikileaks really cared, really wanted to benefit society, and took the time to do so, I think the entire nation would be on their side. Instead, they not only split the nation on an ethical dilemma (does the good outweigh the bad?), but they created a bad name for themselves while ALSO giving anyone that wants to rid the world of wikileaks an actual leg to stand on.