Whenever we think of WikiLeaks, the first question that comes to our mind is: why should the Government, legally-elected by public, have information that needs to be hidden from the very same public? Why is some information secretive? Maybe, our leaders and big corporate houses are engaged in some unethical or illegal activities… Or, the reason may be nobler. They might just wish to ensure citizens’ safety by hiding some sensitive information documents.
But the question still remains. Could something moral or fair ever jeopardize someone’s safety? If these high-brow organizations and even Government are fair in their actions, then being a democratic country, we have a right to see it. And that’s precisely what WikiLeaks aims at. It gives power to the public by letting us access the information that we wouldn’t have otherwise seen and create our own opinions regarding that. Such power has the ability to expose tyrannical regimes and scheming corporate houses.
Let’s take a quick look at what WikiLeaks led to in recent past… USA Government alleges that leaked diplomatic reports concerning positioning of American troops acted as a supper for terrorists. The information included discussions with European Nations about new American military bases, current action against Iran, situation in Iraq & Afghanistan, and several other documents pertaining to negotiations going on with several countries around the world. As per the estimate, the published cables have close to 500,000 documents. As predicted by US Govt, the leaks did erode the country’s relations with other nations. It severely damaged USA’s reputation as a diplomatic partner since the files allegedly included deprecating or inane comments about friendly foreign leaders.
In addition, Government officials of some other Western Nations expressed strong disapprovals and condemned WikiLeaks for having a free hand in putting global security and international relations at stake, only for the sake of some personal benefits. However, channels like WikiLeaks got a great response from media analysts, journalists and public in general who have now started voicing voraciously about the possible downfalls of secrecy on Government’s part. In fact, many surveys reveal that people across many countries have started spending more time on internet than watching TV, all thanks to Wiki revelations. All said & done, there is no doubt that WikiLeaks strengthens the age-old fact:
“The Governments should be afraid of People, rather than the other way round”.
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