Dear WikiLeaks
via TechCrunch:
A lot of people, including many governments, have problems with WikiLeaks, the site dedicated to publishing sensitive and often classified documents. (Read more background on the controversial organization). The site is currently under a distributed denial of service attack, according to a Tweet from the WikiLeaks account. The site seems to be withstanding the attack so far. It is up right now.
The DDOS attack comes just as WikiLeaks is preparing to release another set of U.S. government documents—this time diplomatic cables which may prove so embarrassing that the State Department decided to warn foreign governments ahead of their release.
'People shouldn't fear their government; the government should fear their people'
That was the crowning quote from the institutional thriller V for Vendetta, in which a civilian uprising started by the release of supposed classified government information. In the real world, however, there is a lack of fervor for calling BS on the things that the government doesn't want to tell us. That was until you came about WikiLeaks. From the moment you came out with a set of government documents detailing the failures of the Iraq and Afghanistan military offenses, it's been an uphill battle to keep you afloat. I say that not because you're losing the battle. As a matter of fact, by releasing these documents and allowing the media, and more importantly the people, to see what the government really is up to, you're making good on the idea that the government should be transparent as possible.
I say you're fighting an uphill battle because there is such a thin line between releasing useful information and information that might be detrimental to our safety. In this day and age, homeland security is ironically synonymous with secrecy, even while terrorism continues to run rampant. We're in an age of constant security checks and less privacy at the expense of that security. WikiLeaks, I'm not going to lie. As enticing as the idea of knowing exactly what the government is up to is, that information in the wrong hands is a terrorist attack waiting to happen. As much as the 'embarrassing information' might be juicy and give liberal folks like myself fodder to trash the government, your leaks are a threat. Yes, the government should come clean with the people, but some things just shouldn't be public knowledge. WikiLeaks, I appreciate your truth seeking, as well as the fact that you keep the leakers anonymous. God help those leakers if they ever get outed. I see a lifetime of waterboarding and Guantanamo Bay-style torture in that case.
Moving along, WikiLeaks, your site doesn't deserve to be shut down or blocked. There is always going to be such a thing as freedom of speech, and that right should always be respected. The government has no right to intervene in your operations no matter how much they think you will have (or already have) sullied its name. That said, it's up to you guys to show some discretion. If you're handing out complete blueprints to the White House, maybe that's not the best thing. But logs of war and conferences determining our fate abroad are fair game, in my opinion. The government can't be mad at that. If they really were concerned about the effects of some of your leaks, they wouldn't do the classifying in the first place. I guess it all goes back to whom should fear who. If you're putting the country in a compromised position, the government should fear you. If the government is going to slam the books on you, then vice versa. Just make sure your sources are reliable and won't be too upset if the entire military descends on their house in a terrorism sting...
