WikiLeaks stands for a somewhat appealing but often scary ideal. That the public has a right to all government affairs to make democracy more transparent. The scary part is when this information can endanger the lives of the people involved which highlights a conflict between freedom, rights, and security.

Founded by Julian Assange and currently based around different European countries, mainly Sweden, WikiLeaks has released millions of sensitive documents mainly concerning governments and large corporations. It is based around volunteers providing the documents through an anonymous drop box which WikiLeaks then decides to share with new organisations. This so that the providers of the information is protected against persecution.

The leaking of military documents from War in Iraq caused a major worldwide controversy. With over 400.000 documents released that exposes war crimes by American troops. The most famous example is the video Collateral Murder – Iraq which shows American helicopters firing on civilians. While I believe that people have the right to this information it did have major repercussions in terms of endangering soldiers and and the Iraqi people.

It was condemned by Iraqi government officials, including the Prime Minister, who said that it would only cause more hatred and destruction in the country. It has also led several people claiming the WikiLeaks essentially declared war on America.

This continuing quest to release all kinds of classified to the public has led the security of individuals being compromised. The story of Bradley Manning is a great example of this. Bradley Manning was the main contributor of the released information. After being exposed to the U.S. military, Bradley has been in military custody since July 2010 and has not faced any trial since.

While this is can be viewed as a major violation of human rights it has also brought up another discussion. Several reports claim that Manning was mentally unstable and was never fit to serve in the war. This also reflect how the war led to the requirements for enlisting and serving in the Army has been significantly looser in the recent years. A discussion around who is able to serve in any given war seems like an important topic that might deserve more attention.

My opinion of WikiLeaks is ultimately mixed. I do support the idea that government dealings should be transparent but perhaps to a certain degree. While war crimes are inexusable, a government does have the responisiblty to ensure the safety of its citizens and troops and also to work towards peace efforts rather than causing more violence and destruction.

I also found it interesting in the WikiRebels documentary when Daniel Domscheit-Berg talks about leaving WikiLeaks due a conflict of beliefs. He talks about how Assange has too much control over the organization and that how he himself lacks transparency.

”If you preach transparency to everyone else you have to be transparent” – Daniel Domscheit-Berg