On Wed, 8 Mar 2017 03:43:10 PM jason@cleeland.org wrote:
On Wed, 8 Mar 2017 03:05:00 PM russell@coker.com.au wrote:
Jason, your analysis is insightful and well written. But I disagree with this paragraph. The above article gives a clear example of the problems with a "release all information" approach. Releasing government information that has no relevance to security (EG the amount of money spent on coffee and biscuits for government employees) might be harmless, but releasing information on citizens can be dangerous. Releasing the addresses of most women in a country has an obvious risk of facilitating stalking and rapes.
Russell, I don't disagree with the article about the dangers of releasing unfettered information. But the problem with having a secretive, unaccountable body deciding what is worth releasing to the public, and what isn't worth releasing to the public is that we have no idea what decisions are being made, why they are made, or what they are refusing to release.
Which is kind of exactly the problem that wikileaks usually argue they are addressing. Governments are collecting information about us, and are then - in a secretive, unaccountable manner - deciding what information we may or may not have.
Except that Wikileaks are part of the problem being a secretive unaccountable body without any legal oversight that decides what to release to the public.
Governments usually cite the argument, when they say they can't release some information, that by releasing the information they would be causing harm to the people they are supposed to be protecting. Strangely similar to the article you link to, and the argument about managing what is released. It's a legitimate point for governments to be making - except that we never find out what information governments happen to have chosen to keep from us for our own protection. And in that gap lies the problem wikileaks want to address.
The case that governments make is usually a lot weaker. For example the US government claims that releasing information on civilian deaths in war zones is bad for propaganda. That claim is based on the assumption that people don't already know about deaths in war zones, and I'm sure that friends and relatives of the deceased know it well. The case for releasing personal details on most women in a country is obviously bogus. There is nothing they could possibly all be doing wrong apart from voting for someone you don't like, and I hope we can all agree that persecuting people for voting for the wrong party is a bad idea. The risks of releasing personal data on women is rape and murder.
However we'll also never know what information wikileaks have chosen to keep from us for our own protection. So what's the difference?
There is a slight difference. In a democracy, at least we have the thin veneer of an opportunity to influence our decision makers. And we have laws and systems designed to try and ameliorate the excesses of the dreaded establishment. Imperfect maybe. Let's face it, however crap they are, they all far exceed any public oversight or power we happen to have over wikileaks or Julian Assange. I'm not sure when the next election for the 'board' of wikileaks is happening, but I know for a fact that I don't get a vote.
It's his personal project. He expells people who disagree.
If we are replacing one flawed, failing, not-very transparent information overlord with another flawed, even less transparent overlord, we are really not doing ourselves any favours, no matter how beautiful the core idea behind wikileaks is.
And when that organisation starts to play partisan politics with information it possesses, well it's turned into a monster that - if it isn't far worse than what it claims to be protecting us from - it's a least definitely no better.
If wikileaks want to protect individuals by withholding some information, or holding it until they have vetted it - well great. We all support not hurting innocent people through thoughtless and rash actions. So do it "as soon as practicable".
But they released the data on Turkish women without vetting it even though there is no conceivable reason for doing so. They have also released data about Saudi Arabia, so their excuse that lack of Russian language knowledge prevents them releasing data doesn't hold water.
And if by releasing information two days after President Trump claims he was spied on by the CIA, then it makes wikileaks look like they are complicit with the new US administration, then wikileaks should wait a few weeks and do it at a time where it doesn't play into the hands of one political actor over another. As others have pointed out, it's not like anyone is astounded at this news. I know I'm not. Frankly, if the US government weren't doing exactly what the Chinese government, the Russian government, the French Government, the [insert any country's name] government is doing wouldn't we all be far more surprised?
In terms of Android malware there's a lot of Chinese and Russian criminal enterprises doing that. People who believe that the US government only does good things should want better phone security to stop criminals.
Anyway, that's all off topic. The point is, if wikileaks want to remain "above politics" then they have an obligation to do everything that they can to not only BE above politics, but also to APPEAR to be above politics.
Yes, that means both actions and statements. If Assange said "I'd like to work with someone who knows Russian to get ready for Russian-language leaks" it would improve the public perception of him. When he says that there's no need for leaks from Russia he sounds like a Russian agent. -- My Main Blog http://etbe.coker.com.au/ My Documents Blog http://doc.coker.com.au/