Wikileaks and Privacy

Wilileaks' disclosure of hundreds of documents related to US diplomacy is rightfully generating a lot of discussion. Was this an attack on US government policies? Was this a necessary act to promote greater transparency and accountability in government?

Most everyone has an opinion on Wikileaks, so here's mine. It's a bit like the actions of the pro-gay group in the 1980s/1990s that would forcibly 'out' closeted gay celebrities (Richard Chamberlain comes to mind). In a sense, American foreign policy has been similarly outed without its consent by an organization that supports greater transparency.

Whether you think that outing is a constructive practice or not -- and there are good arguments on both sides -- this episode begs the larger question of privacy. This looms large over the Internet, with today's youth espousing 'authenticity and transparency' but while still engaging in the same time-honored roleplaying practices of their parents. The declaration of transparency, in fact, seems to be part of the game today.

Who isn't for honesty, right? But there are gradations of honesty: the "that shirt you had on yesterday was really great" variation versus the "today's shirt is really hideous" one. No individual or organization is wholly transparent -- whose who claim they are can be identified as dishonest very quickly. : ) And I can't say that I approve of Wikileaks outing US government tactics.

Perhaps this incident will lead to greater governmental disclosure and openness in its dealings. Or maybe it will spur low-tech approaches to information exchange. In this insightful piece by Umberto Eco, he observes technology moving, "crab-like", in a backwards motion. As for the future of diplomacy:

I can’t help imagining state agents riding discreetly in stagecoaches along untrackable routes, bearing only memorised messages or, at most, the occasional document concealed in the heel of a shoe.