Tuesday, January 18, 2011

T,R 8:25am

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wikileaks is all new to me. I was unaware such a website existed among society. Recent news reports have expanded my knowledge of Wikileaks. However, I didn’t thoroughly research this website although it was mongered through media. Somehow, confidential information was leaked to the public that was abhorrent. This results when things that were once accepted become the unaccepted. I wasn’t surprised that the site would be shut down within a matter of time. If Wikileaks was a problem from the start, then why wasn’t it shut down? If you ask me, this shows how governments across the world wait until deviance take its toll. I wasn’t appalled when the site was shut down and its director, Julian Assange was wanted. As an individual in society, a government of the people, for the people, and by the people is satirical to me because it doesn’t seem that way. Wikileaks was just another plot to expose the government for what it really is but resulted in failure because the truth was told.
Kevaris Doughty

Unknown said...

I personally wasn’t aware of how wikileaks worked. I had heard about the site here and their but until today I didn’t research it to really see what this was. I think that in a way this was good for it to happen to the government. It shows the people the true colors of what the government is really about. They made a site that back fired on them and showed the people the true colors and the secrets behind the government. I think the reason the website wasn’t shut down at the beginning when it started to post a threat that the truth was going to eventually come out because the government doesn’t take action to fix a soon to be problem till it becomes an actual problem and threat. They wait until the little issue becomes threatening in order for them to take action and control or fix the situation.

Anonymous said...

From the little reading I’ve done about this debate, I found a few “facts” regarding the internationally known Wikileaks website to clarify my uncertainty. From my understanding this is a non-profit organization founded by a few politically powerful countries, U.S. and China being among them. Their main goal is to reveal unethical behaviors among government and corporations as well as oppressive regimes, according to the “About” section on their website. At first glance, Wikileaks just seemed like an alternantive to bad news reporting and speculative information that could possibly lead to war and more terrorism. Everything is not always what it seems, and from further reading, I found that Wikileaks has actually been quite beneficial to the people. If not for the people, Wikileaks would not be as effective as it is; it is a great example of democracy in action I must say. It was only natural that our government cracked down on this website, as it was exposing the truth behind the people-proof walls defending the detestable behavior shrouded behind it. The best option the government had to expose their lack of truthful principals and falsified system of liberal values was to shutdown Wikileaks in repercussion to its successful leaks. As a result, the simple downfall of a single website may lead to the downfall of a few big heads in the corporation and political world.
Aaron Le Jeune

Unknown said...

Wikileaks has triggered scandals, exposing secrets of the U.S. foreign policy and it's immersing again to the ages of the cold war. With just one click, anyone can access information of the last 10 years about the internal government and detailed diagnosis of military actions on the U.S. Many politicians such as the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has qualified these acts as an "espionage game". I believe USA is at the heart of major international issues and this would impact in strategical balances. What we can examine is the new role that the Internet has in that area, which has exceeded in the matter of safety. Cyberspace which is a populated place of anonymous sources threatens all of the private aspects. So the question is how are we going to deal with this raging commotion of data, which is not questioned for its veracity but the ease with which it spreads?
Meanwhile, two things are clear: this 'secret' informations would not have surfaced if the world was captured by oppressive dictatorships of freedom of expression. And finally, "transparency and insight are not incompatible".

Alfredo Triff said...

Wikileaks was just another plot to expose the government for what it really is but resulted in failure because the truth was told.


??

Anonymous said...

I have never heard about wikileaks until the owner Julian Assange was arrested for sex crimes around December 2010 and I saw him on the news. I never would have though that there would a website with all type of government information on the internet like that without the government taking action. Then again, in my opinion, the government is letting it happen to better control society by leaking false information dating back to the cold war. This is one of many possible reasons why the government has not taken action. Cyberspace is so deep with information that no one ever knows what is fact or lies, and the government themselves are using cyberspace to create more lies within facts. In my opinion, there are many possible outcomes that can be result of wikileaks. I though only zeitgeist would be against government and leaking information, but now that I found wikileaks, I shall look into this river of facts and lies. I have many opinions and this is one of them about government. They want control and wikileaks MAY be one of their ways to control cyberspace. Who know, I’m only speculating. -Alexdandra Acevedo

Kira L. Mendoza said...

There are obviously more than two issues being pointed out by this article. To begin with let’s mention the wrong doing of the government regarding tax evasion, and its illegal practice. Treason is also part of the issue because Rudolf Elmer has violated a code of honor by exposing all the documents and names that should have remained a secret. With this being said we can infer that their moral senses have been absent for the last couple of years.
All the information that Rudolf Elmer has in his possession he turned it in to the founder of Wikileaks and it is being revealed to the public. It is part of “all for the people” it’s true that the people should know what is going on in the government, because some of the things being done are not morally right, and I do agree that in order to have a true democracy there should be transparency. The people should know what is going on behind the scenes.
Let’s look at the other side of the article. Why would Rudolf Elmer all of the sudden turn all this documents that contain exclusively important information about tax evasion and criminal information ? would it be that the reason he was dismiss was because he was a threat to the revealing of the information, and now that he was finally dismiss and ready to take revenge he turned all the information in to the press since Wikileaks is such a news carrier? In my opinion Rudolf Elmer is admitting his guilt and pleading for forgiveness by revealing the information.
Last but not the least is the fact that Wikileaks is such a breakthrough in press, yet because of such there have been jobs lost. Is Wikileaks a good or bad thing? It is important for the people to know what the truth is and what is truly going on yet it is also mentioned that they are doing so by unlawfully publishing private information. Is it morally right to do so or are they being egoists and thinking of the people are the same time even if it is at the cost of breaking rules? In the last part of the article it is mentioned that “an estimated 15,970 jobs in 2008 and 8,484 through April of this year” with this being so is Wikileaks making things better by harming the job status. I don’t think that knowing more than what I should is worth the loss of others job.
Wikileaks is not being very useful. I do agree that the people should know the truth that hides within government, but to take it to the extreme is just a little too much. Democracy does claim that the people should all be aware of things “for the people” but some of the people don’t know how to take and process the information. In other words Wikileaks is wrong by doing this because it is harming society as it is. When the truth is revealed then things start changing and since Wikileaks is dedicated to reveal truth about unlawful things that happen within the government in my opinion it cannot be a good thing.

Anonymous said...

Wiki leaks motive was to inform and bring out the truth of corporations, organizations, religious documents, Medias, the government or any information that was basically hidden or delete from the public eye. The website wiki leaks gained fans as well as enemies. Before the reading, I only heard of the website wiki leaks once or twice but never had any general idea of what the website was about. After discovering what wiki leaks stand for, I completely agree and support everything they represented. I wasn’t surprised that Wiki leaks were later shut down for its exposure of the truth. Wiki leaks proved how the only time the government takes action is when information becomes a liability to them. But due to so much data that is posted on the internet every day I could be wrong. because even governments set lies on the internet to contradict true information to keep us in the dark.
Davin Simpson

Anonymous said...

I think Wikileaks was a great idea that went too far. Wanting to let the public know “the truth” is a noble cause. However – breaching copyright laws (Top Secret ‘Bibles’ of Scientology)? Hacking into email accounts – whether they are political figures or not? Intercepting phone calls (2008 Peru Oil Scandal)? Who’s violating our privacy then, our government or this publication trying to disprove our government?
Can it really be said that Wikileaks is “changing” the press? The internet has been changing the press since people discovered that they could type and post things for the world to see. Video and picture upload. Social Networks. News is getting out faster and faster and no one has time to even consider the validity of that information because it’s smacking them in the face. The unique thing about Wikileaks is that they’re going the extra mile and hacking into email accounts and doing other illegal things to get a hold of the information they post. Toss Wikileaks an SLR camera and you can call them the political savvy’s paparazzi.
Basically – I like that they expose the truth, but at what cause? And is it alright to disregard privacy for a public figure? If my neighbor was the mayor would it be alright for me to break into his house to find evidence that’ll prove he’s selling drugs?
-Gema Mora

Anonymous said...

What has the basic freedoms given to us in the bill of rights come to if we are denied our right to freedom of the press? The Wiki Leaks website sets out to expose corrupt government, political and corporate activities. It peels back the classified layer behind which many politicians hide behind. It has made “The Powers That Be,” fear the power it holds on showing their true colors. Banks have filed law suits, and dictators have called it an “Evil Organization.” If governmental officials and bank CEO’s do not like their dirty laundry being aired out well then maybe they should stop conducting business in corrupt and illegal ways. Wiki Leaks is just putting them under a microscope and letting people see how these people go about their endeavors and what really goes on behind closed doors. With Journalists in short supply now more than ever we as a society need sites like Wiki Leaks to let us know what is really going on.

-Jennifer Vidal

Latanya F. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Latanya F. said...

Wikileaks is a non-profit organization that provides “private”,” secret”, and “classified” information through anonymous, independent resources that is free to the public. Many of which are unclosed information of foreign country’s corporations and governments that have been exposed of wrong doing. Recently, former senior Swiss bank executive have been revealed of an illegal financial transaction and tax evasion thanks to Wikileaks, which was easily given to them. In a sense, the American government can benefit from these findings because it allows them to evaluate other countries that might possibly be a national threat. However, there has been information of America’s own classified documents, such as videos of the US forces and many Cold War cases that has been keep behind the scenes till now. Apparently, the Federal Government questions if Wikileaks can also become a national threat. On the contrary, if anything is a national threat it’s America; we have countries that have America on a thin wire, or in other words, a push of a button, from many countries that have suffered in America’s hands. Thanks Wikileaks we’ve discovered and now know who can potentially make us or break us. As far as our dear senior Swiss bank executive, that was like taking candy from a baby.

Anonymous said...

I was not aware there existed such a thing as Wikileaks. As I read this blog, I remember hearing gossip about some scandal with Wikileaks but I never thought it would be as described. Until recently, I have come to terms with what Wikileaks offer. I believe it comes with its advantages and disadvantages. Society does need to know what is hidden under the rug by our government, but there should be a limit on what information is put and how one attains this information. For instance, it has been reported that Wikileaks has posted personal information of government officials such as addresses which I think should be restricted. Having this information open to the public is unreasonable; there are crazy people in this world. I have also discovered that Wikileaks reveals military strategies of the U.S. Army. I do not know how people find this to be reasonable, it astounds me. Like I have said, certain information should be allowed to the public because we should have the right to know these things. Corrupt things that our leaders have done should be revealed to the public, just to state an example. Limit is the keyword to this problem; limit the information.

-Pamela Picon

Anonymous said...

Mr. Julian Assange has made headline news all over the world thanks to his website Wikileaks which exposes classified documents all over the world. This can be a benign action if you live in a country that values “Freedom of the Press” since the people in these countries value that right and believe that Mr. Assange has the right to say whatever he wants. The action by the executive to give the wikileaks founder the details of the people who engaged in fraudulent actions shows the influence Wikileaks has in modern day society. This move will have its backlash I can assure that because the companies will not be happy and will do everything they can to fight back especially if they have a widespread amount of power influencing the government with funds for campaigns. With respect to all the other information this man possesses, he is doing a great deal of harm by trying to do what is right. With all these classified documents entire countries may put themselves against each other because not only do these documents talk about countries, but they may talk about countries trash talking other nations or insulting world leaders. There may also be revolutions because of this if the people hear things they would never imagine possible. I hope I am wrong and it doesn’t escalate to anything beyond public knowledge.

Sincerely Yours: Steven Russi ^_^

Anonymous said...

This is the first time I hear of WikiLeaks, I looked it up on Google and it said it’s a nonprofit organization that publishes confidential information to the public. In my opinion any organization that exposes corruption and wrongdoing deserves an award. The people we elect into power should keep the peoples best interest in mind. Sometimes they do illegal things and things that are morally wrong, it’s about time someone shines some light on them. The actions they take affect us, so it is only fair we get absolute transparency. If someone isn’t doing anything wrong then they shouldn’t mind if the public has access to records. WikiLeaks has the right to publish information they believe is beneficial to the public, and they shouldn’t be shut down for it. Legal action should be taken against those evading taxes and doing other illegal activities. Just because WikiLeaks violates their confidentiality does not mean they are cleared from all charges. If a regular individual were to do the same, legal action would be taken.

Nicole Encalada

Garfield Jarrett said...

I didn’t know much about Wikileaks before last month, when I heard about the site on the news after its founder was arrested in Britain for sexual assault allegations in Sweden. I also learned that the arrest could complicated any US attempts to quickly try him for releasing thousands of classified documents on the internet. Since the past two days I have been taking a closer look at what Wikileaks stands for, what they were doing and the types of documents they were releasing. In my honest opinion, some of the information seems “solid,” while some seems like ordinary internet propaganda.
Needless to say, Wikileaks has stir-up lots of questions about US forces and Swiss Bank Executives illegal activities. After reading all the information from numerous outlets on the internet, “I still really don’t know if it’s true or not, or it’s just a method the Government uses to control information.

Anonymous said...

I was not aware about what Wikileaks was. This is new to me. However for what I read this article results very interesting to me, this media organization dedicated to bringing important news and information to the public provides us an innovative, secure and anonymous way for independent sources around the world to leak information to our journalists. It shows the colors of who are the people who are en-charge of the country and word-wile. it is a source that keep on updating constantly and always keep ups inform.
CLaudia Socorro

Anonymous said...

I knew about Wikileaks just a couple of weeks ago by the news. Before that I could not even imagine that such a web site existed on the internet and that it was dedicated to distribute information labeled as top secret by the governments of many countries. However, Julian Assange, Wikileaks founder says that his publications are in the best interest of the people who really need want to see the concealed faces of their governments. Now Wikileaks becomes, one more time, the center of our attention when it was recently reported that Assange had received detailed information involving prominent figures in tax evasion and other crimes, from Rudolf M. Elmer, a former executive from a Swiss bank. This entire situation has created a controversy among those who think that Wikileaks is undermining the U.S and foreign governments’ structures and those who assert that Wikileaks is just supporting democracy and the public’s interests.
Ivonne Almeida

Anonymous said...

When I first heard about Wiki leaks I thought it was a website that was run by the creators of Wikipedia; I was wrong. At first I was a little startled as to why anyone would let someone publish this but then as i continued reading I was literally blown away with how many things are kept secret.It was bound to happen eventually and someone had the guts to do it,and he didn't even get in trouble for the website he was arrested on rape chargers.

Gaby Pavon