Does Wikileaks threaten national security?
The White House has condemned the release of 75,000 secret military reports by Wikileaks as a threat to national security. But the site maintains it acted in the public interest and even delayed publishing a further 15,000 files which would pose risks if released now without editing.
The documents, which deal with the war in Afghanistan, are the highest profile releases yet through a special system Wikileaks launched last year for dealing with mainstream media outlets.
Normally the site simply publishes documents as it receives them, but it allows a source to submit documents with a request that it goes to a particular news publisher, which then gets advance copies of the documents so it can write an exclusive story, but cannot be forced to reveal the source by local courts (as it doesn’t know the source’s identity). In this case, the story went to the New York Times, Germany’s Der Spiegel and the United Kingdom’s Guardian.
The material covers five years worth of reports of incidents the U.S. military considered significant. While the most notable revelation is simply the sheer number of “small” engagements which make up a modern conflict, there are also claims about the role of Pakistan in the war.
National Security Advisor General James Jones said of the leaks:
The United States strongly condemns the disclosure of classified information by individuals and organizations which could put the lives of Americans and our partners at risk, and threaten our national security. Wikileaks made no effort to contact us about these documents – the United States government learned from news organizations that these documents would be posted. These irresponsible leaks will not impact our ongoing commitment to deepen our partnerships with Afghanistan and Pakistan; to defeat our common enemies; and to support the aspirations of the Afghan and Pakistani people.
Wikileaks said it has taken steps to limit security risks, noting, “We have delayed the release of some 15,000 reports from total archive as part of a harm minimization process demanded by our source. After further review, these reports will be released, with occasional redactions, and eventually, in full, as the security situation in Afghanistan permits.”
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July 26th, 2010
I would just like to know whos frigin side some of theses people are on. Treason thats what it is . Remember lose lips sinks ships. They should be court martialed and taken out back then shot.
December 12th, 2010
@Dave
You’re wrong. The ones committing the treason are the ones covering up illegal acts. Not the ones exposing them. Do you realise the irony of what you said? Perhaps I’ll change the wording of what you said so you can see.
Dave said, “It is treason to expose treason.”