How Wikileaks is good for the society
Introduction
The paper will investigate and point out in different dimensions how Wikileaks is good for the society. Information experts have attested that Wikileaks is a non profit making organization whose sole aim is to disseminate and transmit original information without naming and acknowledging the sources of such information and data. The organization deals with information from myriad areas of ethnic orientations, political, diplomatic or information of historical importance. It has been discovered that the organization always strive to find original and accurate data supported by diverse pieces of evidence admissible in a court of law and can be proven beyond definite doubt. Historians and diplomatic experts have opined that this organization operates on a free platform and has led citizens to raise concerns on nationalism and in the process has terrified most elected government including those run by dictators with the information that they disseminate.
Historically, it is believed that the organization responsible for leaking information was founded by an individual called Julius Assange and based on the information that they leak to the public, most government and tyrants have called for the arrest, prosecution and even assassination of the self proclaimed spokesperson. This is because of the way the organization leaks more confidential, secret and classified information about governments and individuals. However, legal experts have affirmed that there is no well defined legal framework to prosecute the leader of the organization and that several amendments have been proposed on how to deal with the organization, to some extent governments have sought platforms of declaring the organization as a terrorist organization. My view is that Wikileaks is good for the people and the society at large as discussed exhaustively below.
Importance of Wikileaks to the society
First, it has been important in the society as it acts as the source of crucial information; experts have termed the organization a whistleblower. It is asserted that the organization has been in the forefront in disseminating and exposing the antisocial behaviors of governments and other powerful individuals in the society. In fact, media specialists have always believed that exposing misdeeds in the society has been one of the reasons why they advocate for free media and press. Wikileaks ensures that the society is aware of the bad deeds of certain individuals breaking the confidentiality notion that would have otherwise provided grounds for hiding such information. It has been discovered that providing important and crucial information to the society serves a greater good than hiding such information with pretense of confidentiality. To some extent, Wikileaks has assisted governments to anticipate the reactions of the people in the society by allowing the organization to leaks and expose certain confidential information.
Second, it has been established that Wikileaks has helped instill transparency to the society and historians have opined that in such a case transparency is considered important than privacy. For instance, it is an accepted fact that important institutions in the society like the financial markets can collapse anytime just like how it happened during the economic and financial crisis of 2006. On this note, it is opined that governments tend to centralize information that they deem will be important in taming and regulating the society (Arya 32). However, with the increased practice of power and computerization individuals in the community have been kept abreast with the daily activities happening in the country. Wikileaks therefore comes in to provide the sufficient transparency by leaking and exposing confidential information and in the process preparing the society psychologically on how they would respond after a catastrophe. The organization enhances transparency by feeding publications and the media with original information that is difficult to come across and that are mostly suppressed by the government.
Third, it has played an important role in concealing source documents and in the process helps the people in the society to mobilize their public opinion and views on certain issues leaked and which affect them. Information specialists have opined that it is right for Wikileaks to release its sources of information in the bid to demonstrate their own credibility. It is a fact that before the organization releases information to the public it performs a thorough verification of the information and proves that they are genuine pieces of information, later protects the source to prevent collateral damage and problems. This is good to the society as it will provide the platform for discussions of pertinent issues affecting the society while eliciting diverse opinions and views.
Fourth, it has helped in eliminating monopoly of information as the 21st century has dictated that information should be free for everybody to access in the society. Moreover, historians have established that currently, power is not executed by monopolizing information. This means that Wikileaks is just a scapegoat as people have advanced methods of retrieving digital data that is consistently copied during processing and then transmitting it worldwide within shorter time. Wikileaks proves that people in this century are enlightened on how to access even encrypted data with the institution offering a helping hand in eradicating monopoly of information in the society (Brevini et al 28). For example, in U.S society the organization has been embraced as it encompasses free expression that is a fundamental right anchored in the Bill of Rights (Leigh and Luke 62).
Lastly, Wikileaks has acted as an ingredient of good democracy in the society due to the assertion that the organization in conjunction with other media instructions leak information not with the intention of losing lives but ensuring accountability and transparency. Different societies have been moving on the wrong directions through classifying certain information as secret. However, when Wikileaks and other media organizations expose such information, leaders will be embarrassed and made uncomfortable but such embarrassments and discomfort has been considered as ingredients of healthy democracy practice in the society. Society members will have the opportunity of deliberating on issues touching on democracy and will even be allowed to provide solutions to the current problems affecting democracy and quality of life (Leigh and Luke 50).
Conclusion
It can be succinctly summarized that Wikileaks brings on board radical transparency through the act of leaking and disseminating confidential information that directly or indirectly affects the members of the society. The investigation has established that the organization seeks public interest by disseminating information with the public in mind and has been in the forefront of ensuring that such information are not hidden by editors and publishers who may fear the wrath of governments. To survive in the hostile environment Wikileaks has generated mirror websites across the world to ensure that content is readily available for perusal and so it is recommended that different government should try to act justly and fairly to limit the embarrassing revelations by the websites.
Works cited
Arya, Narendra. Encyclopedia of Journalism, Democracy and Free Press. New Delhi: Anmol
Publications, 2010. Print.
Brevini, Benedetta, Arne Hintz, and Patrick McCurdy. Beyond Wikileaks: Implications for the
Future of Communications, Journalism and Society. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Internet resource.
Leigh, David, and Luke Harding. Wikileaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War on Secrecy. London:
Guardian Books, 2011. Print.