Wikileaks is Not a Whistleblower Site

An outstanding blog on Wikileaks is here and talks about how the site fails at being a “whistleblower site.” Despite its claims as a project for government transparency, it has not transformed a single government policy or generated any government hearings except for investigations into the leaks themselves.

From FAS.Org here:

WikiLeaks published the “secret ritual” of a college women’s sorority called Alpha Sigma Tau. Now Alpha Sigma Tau (like several other sororities “exposed” by WikiLeaks) is not known to have engaged in any form of misconduct, and WikiLeaks does not allege that it has. Rather, WikiLeaks chose to publish the group’s confidential ritual just because it could. This is not whistleblowing and it is not journalism. It is a kind of information vandalism.

In fact, WikiLeaks routinely tramples on the privacy of non-governmental, non-corporate groups for no valid public policy reason. It has published private rites of Masons, Mormons and other groups that cultivate confidential relations among their members. Most or all of these groups are defenseless against WikiLeaks’ intrusions. The only weapon they have is public contempt for WikiLeaks’ ruthless violation of their freedom of association, and even that has mostly been swept away in a wave of uncritical and even adulatory reporting about the brave “open government,” “whistleblower” site.

Wikileaks is simply a cabal of hackers and data thieves who justify their crimes of computer intrusion under the banner of “openness” and “transparency.” These same people are against copyrights for musicians and criminal sanctions against those who commit cyber crime. To them “information wants to be free.” Except of course, the current whereabouts and travel itenerary of Julian Assange. That must be protected.

Ironic, right? I repeat, Get Julian Assange. Tip of the hat to Kevin Poulsen.