Wikileaks and the future of censorship

In late 2010, an event happened that in my mind, irrevocably altering world politics, and completely transforming the debate on internet censorship. I think that it will be impossible to discuss the nature of what information should and should not be discussed on the internet without at least making cursory reference to Wikileaks and the state department leaks.

In the grand scheme of things, it's difficult to pinpoint the exact impact of Wikileaks. While the documents were classified, and definitely not intended for widespread release, most of the general opinion about them was that they did not reveal anything particularly stunning to the world at large. More than anything, they were diplomatic rudeness, but the fact remains that they were not written to be revealed as such. In fact, some commentators have stated that the state department leaks provided the impetus for the revolutions throughout the middle east, as residents of those countries saw a view of their leaders not filtered through national propaganda.

However, the aftermath in the days following was something fairly new in modern society. Here was a treasure trove of secret data, more vast than any one person could disseminate through, and it was spreading as quickly as any viral video. The news was abuzz with more than just the details of the leaks, but also about the various groups and interests involved in protecting and condemning the data. The question of whether or not information should be censored moved from beyond an academic debate for the first time in many American eyes. And while there was little the average citizen could do about the fate of Wikileaks, they were forced to confront what it really means to have a government at odds with information available to the public.

For my own personal opinion, I feel that while an institution like the state department needs a measure of secrecy to operate, and such communications should be shielded to the best of their ability. At the same time, when the cat comes out of the bag, as it inevitably will, a far better approach would be to engage in honest debate with the leakers (as much as possible) and provide support for why they felt the information needed to be classified. The calls for a manhunt of Assange were outright inane, unless actual deaths and American losses can be attributed to Wikileaks. What was even more disturbing was the somewhat murky appearance of the government attempting to shove Wikileaks off of the Amazon servers, and other behind the scene movements. If the US government wants to absolve itself from accusations of these machinations, then the very least it could do would be to issue a statement directly stating this.