In April 2019, the whistleblower website WikiLeaks (WikiLeaksJulian Assange, the founder of the "Ecuadorian Embassy" in London, was arrested by British police at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Fearing extradition to the U.S. to face espionage charges, Assange had applied for asylum in Ecuador seven years ago and had been in the embassy's custody since then.
The charges against Mr. Assange are.complexand there are still some aspects that are not yet clear, but the arrest has been controversial. WikiLeaks is said to have uncovered many truths that have been hidden from citizens by those in power, and his arrest is a threat to free speech and freedom of the press.person who rings the alarm bellThere are many. On the other hand, Assange and WikiLeaks' words and actions are against the law and they should be arrested.Advocate.There are also
While the details of the arrests and Assange's personal words, deeds, and course of action have attracted a great deal of attention, the significance of the social phenomenon caused by WikiLeaks itself has received less attention. This article explores the state of information through an examination of WikiLeaks and journalism.
Julian Assange speaking (2009) (Photo: Ars Electronica/Flickr[)CC BY-NC-ND 2.0])
Is WikiLeaks a news organization?
Founded in 2006, WikiLeaks is a nongovernmental organization that exposes the secrets of governments and corporations, advocating the ultimate freedom of information and the belief that transparency in government and business prevents abuse of power.(Platonic) ideal (of how things ought to be, e.g. human rights)The company operates on the basis of the following It has primarily received public documents, e-mails, videos, and other materials that are not publicly available from whistleblowers via the Internet, and has made them available to the public in cooperation with other news organizations or directly through its own website. Excellent for whistleblowers to provide information in a safe and secure environment.Encryption Technology SystemsThe unique feature of this system is that it is developed and uses the "WikiLeaks" system, which is designed to enhance anonymity, such that even WikiLeaks, the recipient of the information, cannot determine the identity of the recipient of the leaked information.
OrganizationDetailsis not known, but it is believed that in its early days it was run by a relatively loose network of a few full-time staff members and numerous volunteers from around the world. Many of the members, including Mr. Assange, have hacking experience and expertise in cryptography. It should be noted that in March 2018, Mr. Assange's access to the Internet was cut off at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, and since six months after thaton behalf ofKristinn Hrafnsson, a journalist and former WikiLeaks spokesperson, is the general editor. The operating funds are.donationThey rely on the
Also controversial is the lack of clear social positioning. WikiLeaks.Website(updated through November 2015) describes WikiLeaks as a "multinational media organization and library" that "specializes in the analysis and publication of large data sets of censored and restricted official material on war, espionage, and corruption." However, whether WikiLeaks is treated as a "news organization" and Mr. Assange as a "journalist" isdiverge in opinionThe following is a list of the most common problems with the
WikiLeaks.Website
Indeed, it is true that the conventionalAs well as the pressto WikiLeaks, WikiLeaks collects information from the person who is the source of the information (the source) and releases the information to the public. Even if information is leaked by illegal means, if the leaked information is in the public interest, the right to have the information published by the organization that received it from the source is considered guaranteed in any nation with an established free press. In such activities, it is considered a fundamental responsibility of journalism to guarantee the authenticity of information and to protect the anonymity of the leaked source. It can be said that WikiLeaks has been thorough in ensuring the authenticity of the information it has published so far, and has introduced a system to guarantee the anonymity of its sources, and has further protectedtrack recordThere are also From this aspect, it has much in common with journalism.
On the other hand, one of the differences from conventional journalism is that most of the information WikiLeaks publishes is verbatim, without context, analysis, or interpretation. In addition, some of the names of the people in the material are published verbatim, which in some cases may unwillingly damage their reputations or even put them in danger. This is why we say that we are not a news organization.claimThere are also not a few Initially, such hurdles were overcome through collaboration with traditional news outlets such as the Guardian in the UK, the New York Times in the US, and Der Spiegel in Germany, but later, when WikiLeaks began releasing material directly to the public, other news organizations that had institutional cooperationsever relationsThe company was to be Instead of being a partner in the news media, "publisherand "Complex SourcesSome call it "the
Major Exposures
The size of the data received by WikiLeaks is enormous. In the ten years since its inception10 million pointsThe company has made it possible to leak materials of all kinds, and still does so today in its website library.Searchable formIt continues to be published in
We have been active since 2006, but became known worldwide when a U.S. military helicopter fired on civilians in Iraq in 2010.videoThe incident in 2007, in which at least 12 people were killed, including two journalists, revealed that the U.S. military had previously misrepresented the truth about the incident. Later still, in 2010, the Afghan war (75,000 items) and the war in Iraq (400,000 pointsThe classified U.S. military documents related to the case were released separately. The documents exposed a number of killings and injuries of civilians by U.S. forces, as well as torture and other human rights abuses by governments and others with whom the U.S. military had cooperated in the region. Regarding the Iraq War, the U.S. government had not released15,000 peopleThe deaths of as many as 1,000 citizens have been confirmed.
U.S. military helicopters in Iraq.photographing(2007). Journalists and other civilians were shot dead by the helicopter (Photo: Department of the Army, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division/Wikimedia)
What triggered even more attention were the U.S. diplomatic cables that became public that same year: exchanges between the U.S. State Department and U.S. embassies and consulates between 1966 and 2010.250,000 pointsThe documents were released to the public. to U.S. diplomats, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to diplomats of other countries and U.N. officials.Directed espionage activitiesThe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had issued a serious safety warning to Japan two years before the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and the IAEA had also issued a serious safety warning to Japan two years before the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.Pointing out the problemThe report also included information on corruption in the Tunisian government. Other information on corruption in the Tunisian government was also included, as well as information on the anti-government protests in the country and the later "Arab Spring" phenomenon.one of the triggersIt is also believed that the
However, the most controversial in the context of American politics were the emails of a senior U.S. Democratic National Committee (DNC) official released during the 2016 presidential election campaignApprox. 20,000 itemsIt was a It was a major issue, containing content that was detrimental to the Hillary Clinton candidacy.
The documents released by WikiLeaks, however, do not come exclusively from the U.S. government. There is no country that is not mentioned in the documents released by WikiLeaks. For example, the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPP) agreement, which was being negotiated in secret by the governments of the countries involved, was not mentioned by WikiLeaks in thedraft agreementThe company obtained and published a portion of the From them, we could read that the interests of the companies were prioritized over the citizens of each country. Other revelations include,Kenyaand ... andPeruand in Australia and Southeast Asian countries.corruption problemare mentioned.United Kingdom, ,Turkey, ,Saudi ArabiaDocuments and e-mails were also released that revealed the inner workings of the government and political parties in the
In addition to the government, numerous revelations were also made through whistleblowers from corporations, banks, think tanks, and religious organizations. For example, the Swiss company Trafigura (Trafigura), which has caused numerous casualties in Côte d'Ivoire, has revealed that hazardous wasteunlawful dumping (e.g. of garbage)and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with French and German arms manufacturers.corruption scandalattracted a lot of attention. With regard to banks, in the ultimately failed Kaupthing Bank (Kaupthing), Iceland's largestunfair practicesand by Barclays Bank (Barclays) in the United Kingdom.tax avoidancewas also exposed.
Barclays Bank exposed for tax avoidance by WikiLeaks (Photo: Håkan Dahlström/Flickr[)CC BY 2.0])
Stratfor, a leading international risk analysis think tank in the U.S. (Stratfor: "Shadow U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)(also known as "the5 million mailsThe emails were released to the public. In it, Stratfor was hired by Dow Chemical (Dow Chemical) in connection with the Bhopal chemical plant accident (1984) in India to the victims and families of the accident demonstratingespionage activitiesThe leaked information revealed that he had been a member of Scientology, a religion whose followers include Hollywood stars, among others. Other leaked information from Scientology, a religion whose followers include Hollywood stars that has been repeatedly pointed out as a problem.internal organization documentThe release of the "Mere Old Man" was also a topic of discussion.
Impact on Journalism
Strictly speaking, WikiLeaks may not be a "news organization. However, it is clear that it has had a significant impact on journalism. In a mature democratic society, one of the important roles journalism is expected to play is to monitor power. In other words, it is to act as a "watchdog" to expose and deter abuse of power, corruption, armed acts and fraud, and words and deeds that are harmful to people, society, and the environment at home and abroad. From this aspect, WikiLeaks is very significant.
In addition, by cooperating with WikiLeaks, they were able to obtain a large amount of confidential documents and materials that they could not have originally obtained, and several traditional news organizations actually worked with WikiLeaks to expose them. Although some news organizations and journalists now blame WikiLeaks, WikiLeaks' activities were the basis for many scoops and articles.
In addition, in some cases, the activities of WikiLeaks have contributed to strengthening the role of the press in democracy. For example, following the banking scandal exposed in Iceland, the prime minister was forced to resign, and the newly created government created an agency that makes advisory proposals to legislation in order to have laws enacted that protect freedom of information, speech, and expression (IMMI(the "Company").
The impact can also be seen in terms of technology. The WikiLeaks anonymous tip system has led to further development of technology that allows online sources to leak to the press in confidence, and many traditional news organizations now routinely use secure drops (SecureDropand other open source systems.
A tool for whistleblowers to leak anonymously to the press,secure drop
Beyond WikiLeaks.
As mentioned above, WikiLeaks has had a major impact on journalism while also causing people to rethink the nature of journalism. However, the road has been a difficult one. Up until now, the U.S. government and others have been "theterrorismand "intelligence agencyIt is sometimes referred to as the "Internet of Things," and has been under strong pressure. For example, the organization's website from Amazon's serversdeletionDonations to WikiLeaks by Visa Card, MasterCard, PayPal, etc.block (lump of something)Such pressure also existed in the background of the Powerful attempts to stop the websitehacking attackIt has also suffered damage from the from the traditional news media.bashingThe company was also subjected to And the founder was finally arrested after seven years of "exile. WikiLeaks overcame numerous obstacles and still continues to operate.
But WikiLeaks also hasproblemare many. Although it has "transparency" in its philosophy, it is very low on transparency about itself. In addition, the effect of the unstable management under Assange, and the loss of talented people, is one of the reasons why the core of WikiLeaks appears to have become blurred. Finally, the image of a one-man organization has not been dispelled.
There is by no means a need for "WikiLeaks" alone to continue to play the role that WikiLeaks has played. What WikiLeaks has created could be expanded and refined and established as a new form of "quasi-journalism," and by increasing the number of players, quality assurance and public interest could be enhanced.
As we enter the era of big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT), these advances in information and communication technology are contributing to the concentration and abuse of power and wealth in many countries. A great deal of personal information is being illegally collected without our knowledge.governmentSome companies collect and trade large amounts of personal information, while others have hugeback marketare being created. Furthermore, attempts to legislate to hide from the public information that is inconvenient for the governmentgovernmentalso exist. It is precisely because of this situation that the press is extremely important as a "watchdog" role, responsible for monitoring and restraining power. However, with the mass media's natural tendency to pander to power and wealth, and the worsening financial situation in the media industry, it is difficult to say that the traditional press is fully capable of fulfilling this role.
It does not have to be WikiLeaks, but an organization that can play the role WikiLeaks has played can make a significant contribution to the promotion of peace, rule of law, justice, and democracy in the world. It would be a necessary entity for the world today.
British intelligence agency, Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) (Defence Images/Flickr[)CC BY-SA 2.0])
Writer: Virgil Hawkins
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The role of the press as a "watchdog" and the freedom of the press are still important.
If those in power are free to control inconvenient information, abuse of power is bound to occur.
Although there are many barriers to its operation, I thought that society needs to be more aware of the importance of the role of "quasi-journalism" such as WikiLeaks.
I am impressed by the observations in the last section. The function of monitoring the abuse of power can no longer be expected from either the government's (erected) conscience or the Constitution. Therefore, I believe that third-party institutions like WikiLeaks, which are not involved with the government, should be officially served as watchdogs of abuse of power while protecting them by law. I felt that we need to reevaluate once again what journalism should be and the philosophy of journalism.
Yes, it may be illegal to take secret documents, but I still think that whistleblowing and WikiLeaks are necessary.
It made me think about what journalism really is.
Nowadays, the mass media are called "trash" and have become puppets and pawns of the state system.
Since the state system has always been evil throughout history, it is inevitable that "all states are evil".
(e.g.) Taxation is always bad / Military is always bad / Spying is always bad
Five Eyes, in particular, is so evil that a book titled "The Complete History of the U.S. Invasion" has been published.
But on the other hand, I can say that we have made progress in the world and..,
The Western nations are reaping the benefits of this. Europe, India, and even Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
India, for example, has a diverse and complex language system of its own,
English is so useful as a common language that foreign languages are official,
From the perspective of Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, there is even an aspect of dismay.
Also, information technology = espionage technology = intelligence technology, but on the flip side,
The evils of the world are conveyed, and Kyatu and "all nations" do not even try to hide their "evils.
In other words, a state is nothing more than a "terrorist state!" It can even be said.
The East and West, in other words, are simply "terrorist parties" assembling "terrorist organizations" to create "terrorist states.
If it is a collection of the same "gangster state" or "rogue state," it will be judged on the basis of "interest" and "umami,
It would be the "reason of the people" to do so.
It could be said that Five Eyes was good at that.
That is why about 60 countries are members of the loose economic zone called the Commonwealth.
It is no surprise that those "big corporations that form the state are evil.