Someone call the plumber!

Oh hello!

So this post is about WikiLeaks...get it...plumber...leaks. OK, I admit that was a dad joke. But WikiLeaks is not a joke, especially to this guy (below) who is battling allegations against rape and sexual assault in Sweden, can't leave the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he was granted asylum, and facing poltical persecution by the US Government for leaking secret documents (Charter, D 2014).

(Source: Sherlockian Mind, 2013)

"The Robin Hood of Hacking"

Australian born Julian Assange began hacking computers at the age of 16, before escalating to hacking the master terminal of a Canadian telecom company, Nortel, at age 20, landing him 25 criminal charges (Harrell, E 2010). In 2006, Assange created WikiLeaks, the website which gives the public access to classified documents.

Julian Assange might be the public face of WikiLeaks, but we shouldn't judge the organisations beliefs or credibility on the actions (or alleged actions) of one man. According to the WikiLeaks official website, the main principles are:

• "Defence of freedom of speech and media publishing...
• The improvement of our common historical record...
• The support of the rights of all people to create new history" (wikileaks.org, 2013)

Given that our Government sensors so much of what is released into the media, organisations like WikiLeaks have taken it upon themselves to ensure there is transparency which results in a better society for all people (wikileaks.org, 2013). Yes, we are entitled to know the truth and we deserve to receive new information in a non-biased form, however the Government are also entitled to their own level of discretion. Advancements in technology have rendered social convention, law and regulation powerless to this demand for information (Sifry, M 2011).

There must be a balance between transparency and discretion, and perhaps, although good intentions, WikiLeaks is focusing too much on providing transparency to it's readers without taking into consideration the political and social implications. What do you think?

Bye for now,

Lisa



Reference List:

Charter, David 2014, 'Swedish MPs urge end to Julian Assange impasse', The Australian, 5 February 2014, accessed 5 February 2014, <http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/swedish-mps-urge-end-to-julian-assange-impasse/story-fnb64oi6-1226818458690#>

Sherlockian Mind, 2013, Knowing vs Guessing, [image], accessed 5 February 2014, <http://sherlockianmind.wordpress.com/>

Harrell, Even 2010, 'Mystery Hacker: Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange', Time World, 26 July 2010, accessed 6 February 2010, <http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2006496,00.html>

wikileaks.org 2013, About; What is Wikileaks?, accessed 6 February 2014, <http://wikileaks.org/About.html>

Sifry, Micah 2011, WikLeaks and the Age of Transparency, BookMobile, USA, p9, accessed 7 February 2014, <http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=qGMHADuyIQUC&oi=fnd&pg=PA7&dq=wikileaks&ots=FlMOKS7hxq&sig=UY-cqj3DkGhox-Zz4t7eVWMOMR0#v=onepage&q=wikileaks&f=false>