Wiki-leaks or Wiki-Pandora’s Box?

By Tula Dlamini

From the United States, China, Yemen, Germany, South Africa and beyond, diplomats and government officials are red-faced following the 29 November 2010 massive leak of U.S. diplomatic cables by the internet site WikiLeaks. So irked and desperate, the US government reportedly resorted to freelance computer hackers to help chase WikiLeaks from an American commercial computer network. That worked at least for part of a day but the website returned within hours, this time publishing from a secret location in Sweden.

The debacle has degenerated into a digital war; mirrored by a security man-hunt for WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, which begun early December 2010.

"The man seems like a James Bond villain: highly intelligent, cunning, arrogant. And like every Bond nemesis, MI6 is hunting down Assange..." ", said David Sharp, writing for the online Daily Wealth publication (2 Dec 2010)

Interpol issued a “red notice”, while a senior U.S. defense official disclosed that U.S. Justice, State and Defense Department lawyers are discussing whether it might be possible to prosecute Assange and others under the Espionage Act and to establish whether he can be charged with other crimes such as theft of government property or receipt of stolen government property. U.S. Congressman Peter King of New York asked whether WikiLeaks can be designated a terrorist organization.

Assange portrays himself as a journalist but as the saga unfolds, many are asking if these leaks qualify as acts of espionage, terrorism, or journalism? Do media have an untrammeled right to release classified documents? Is it journalism to release confidential information obtained by others and transferred to WikiLeaks? Could it be that unregulated release of classified information will do more harm than good?

It is estimated that WikiLeaks has 1.2 million documents in their database. The site first appeared in public in January 2007 and since then it has acted as a ‘whistle blower’ on many occasions. Analysts say it could be that WikiLeaks has published the largest source of incriminating leaked documents from the government’s world over, or they are in the presence of something much more severe.

For instance, the Washington Post (30 November 2010) cited one senior US State Department official who claimed a significant number of activists and journalists, were likely be endangered if named. The official said a number of "very sensitive sources" could be arrested or targeted with violence if their names are published.

Ironically, not long ago, the US Government cautioned South Africa against legislating in favor of the proposed Protection of Information Bill 2010 which is already at the committee stage in parliament. The bill seeks among other things ‘to provide for the protection of certain information from destruction, loss or unlawful disclosure and to regulate the manner in which information may be protected. While the ANC says it is merely trying to protect the public good; US officials, civil society and media groups in South Africa say the Bill in its current form ‘rides roughshod over media freedom and the democratic values of transparency and accountability'. Under the proposed bill – outfits such as WikiLeaks who strive on classified information primarily from ‘whistle blowers’ would have to constantly fight for survival.

WikiLeaks’ defense that it is merely asserting its right to free speech – is a classic pandora’s box, whose popular acceptance masks a significant level of controversy and conceptual confusion. Ideally – while everyone should be encouraged to participate freely in the spread of ideas and in the creation of meanings - society must still find a way to determine when to draw the line between protected and non-protected expression. Right now, the picture is blurred in favor of the ‘powerful in our midst’ – be they governments or individuals with access to instruments of power, including ‘broadband internet’.

Whatever the case maybe - right now - evidently – internet democracy is transforming every aspect of life, offering an inspiring foretaste of the world we are becoming – in which information advantage is the ultimate power. At the very least, the internet in the hands of citizens, changes power relations. Right now, hackers have the edge over governments, institutions and individuals who want to keep certain information secret. And even as much of the ‘leaked information’ was known already, and the rest was not too surprising, sites such as WikiLeaks remain popular among digital citizens who gladly consume these daily bytes of raw-information emanating from ‘real’ significant events - via broadband internet. Fact is that the average Joe Public wants a free flow of insights into what is going on in the corridors of power.