WikiLeaks.org: An opportunity for 9/11 whistleblowers
An new wiki is in the works, and it may be just what 9/11 whistleblowers need. It's called WikiLeaks.
"WikiLeaks is developing an uncensorable version of WikiPedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis. Our primary targets are highly oppressive regimes in China, Russia, central eurasia, the middle east and sub-saharan Africa, but we also expect to be of assistance to those in the west who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their own governments and corporations. We aim for maximum political impact; this means our interface is identical to Wikipedia and usable by non-technical people. We have received over 1.1 million documents so far. We plan to numerically eclipse the content the english wikipedia with leaked documents.
Open government is strongly correlated to quality of life. Open government answers injustice rather than causing it (plans which cause injustice are revealed and opposed before implementation). Open government exposes, and so corrects, corruption. Historically, the most resilient form of open government is one where leaking and publication is easy. Public leaking, being an act of ethical defection to the majority, is by its nature a democratising force.
Hence a system enables everyone to leak safely to a ready audience is the most cost effective means of promoting good government -- in health and medicine, in food supply, in human rights, in arms controls and democratic institutions.
The world has enough food. It has enough medicine. It has enough scientific research and invention. We know how to prevent malaria --- we've known for over 50 years. We know how to halt HIV. We know how to put down our guns. It can be peaceful, just and healthy; all it needs is good governance. Politicians are not capable of it. We have to engineer it."
- simuvac's blog
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Open Government
Anything that may help lead to a more open government gets my vote. However, rules on record-keeping (posters' ID info., etc. may make this difficult to do. I would be interested in learning how they intend to maintain anonymity. The premise, though, is very sound IMO.
However, regarding the purpose: I view any who argue for more and more secretive govt. (e.g., BushCo) are traitors to our country and democracy. Similarly, I view any who argue against a fully independent/thorough investigation of 9/11 as traitors as well. There is no 'gray' on this issue for me.
edited for error
p.s. I gave it a '10' on principle. Have to wait and see regarding the mechanism and how it all works out.
"There are none so hoplessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free" (Goethe)..... a paraphrase from V: Cast aside the illusions. Only when you are finally hopeless can you truly be free.
Good initiative, but perhaps too centralized.
Some first comments on this interesting initiative:
* Make sure that user copies can be made of all the documents or specific parts. So these documents can easily be backup-ed, physically transported and/or printed when needed. Use bittorrent for cheap data package distribution.
* To try to limit all sorts of legal liability issues (state treason, privacy, copyright, etc.) it would be a wise to have multiple site syncs at several locations in world.
* Make it hard to block access to the information via simple means such as DNS/IP-ranges.
* Setup a web-form (with HTTP's) to also allow simple communication and document uploading.
Keep it all very simple I'd say, don't make the uploaded content depend too much on the wiki system you'll be using.
This is a truly
innovative idea that once again speaks to the power of the Internet in changing the future and rectifying past abuses.
In the US there should be legislation extending whistle-blower protection to legitimate leaked information that exposes wrongdoing, but that criminalizes leaking information such as troop positions, weapons configurations, intelligence operatives, and so forth, about present military and intelligence tactics that could theoretically cause a lot of damage. It would be naive to think that this couldn't also be used for nefarious purposes. And to think they are all bad people working for a bad government is also naive. We have to believe in our system to make it work for us.
However the revelation of a certain number of past state secrets - for example new information about JFKs assassination, or 9-11 'hypothetically speaking' - might make war much harder to wage, if not impossible, and therefore reduce the risk of compromising information such as troop placement.
By protecting legitimate whistleblowing on this type of wiki-site, or ensuring that it is not unduly prosecuted, the United States could also restore some of its credibility internationally as a human rights supporter, as well as a 'relatively' transparent nation.
I do hope this gets us somewhere!
Reality got you down? Read the La Rochelle Times:
http://www.rochelletimes.blogspot.com
who is to bell the cat?
best laid plans yatta yatta. how will readers of the wiki know if documents are legit or disinfo?
also, who was that guy who came out recently saying something.... he was the guy whose background is in open-source intelligence or some such. this sounds like it's up his alley... i say caveat...
____
Real Truther a.k.a. Verdadero Verdadero
WTCdemolition.com - Harvard Task Force
I think you mean Robert
I think you mean Robert David Steele at www.oss.net
yes, that's the one... interesting stuff to consider
thanks rollo!
Where Is The Content?
I think it's a noble idea but where are the leaks all I could find was one example of a leak.
still preparing to launch
According to the news releases, they are still gearing up for a launch. I think someone found out about them before they wanted to be known.
They say they have over a million documents already. I guess we'll find out shortly what that means.