Big Featured Discussions | November 30, 2010 | 33 comments

How can we balance increasing transpareny with the need for secrecy regarding sensitive information?

In the wake of controversy around the latest documents to appear on Wikileaks, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has denounced the release of the cables as an "attack on the international community."

Clinton, and others in government, maintain that diplomacy often requires confidentiality to be effective, and that the release of information by sites like Wikileaks could compromise military or diplomatic operations. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and other defenders of the site, however, say that such information should be used to hold the government accountable.

In a world where the public demands more transparancy and technology makes information more accessible, how can we balance accountability and transparancy with the need for confidentiality around sensitive government and military operations?

  1. groups:
    Culture,   Opinion,   Debate,   Big Featured Discussions,   4 more
  2. tags:
    Patriotism,  Freedom of the Press,  codes of silence
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33 comments // How can we balance increasing transpareny with the need for secrecy regarding sensitive information?

  • Raffielo
  • cheshiresleeves
    • 0
      cheshiresleeves  

    • If we didn't do things that need to be hidden then there would be no "sensitive information" to hide. Transparency allows a window into a room full of deceiving people sitting on thrones of money. I know this is unrealistic considering how dependent people are own a system that has been set up to fail but...I can dream. Can't I?

    • 1 year ago
  • riverratt50
    • 0
      riverratt50  

    • "In the wake of controversy" there Ms. Clinton? Please apologize to the leaders of the UN to began with, and then explain to them why you had the overwhelming desire to extract all their personal information in the name of security. That's a good place to start, "In the wake of controversy". STOP TRYING TO SHIFT THE ATTENTION AND BLAME!!! Man-up Hilary, you got busted.

    • 1 year ago
  • Itsbatman_Durr
    • 0
      Itsbatman_Durr  

    • interesting question i have for all on both sides of this issue. would you be ok with leaving your home unlocked, and letting people post your personal and banking information including pins and such online for all to see in the hopes that everyone else would say gosh he took a stand for transparency and honesty so lets all do the same? how about if you added in the codicil that if any were to rob or use your info to damage you there would be repercussions that you could feasibly inflict?

    • 1 year ago
  • Itsbatman_Durr
    • 0
      Itsbatman_Durr  

    • by forcing our leaders to stop being representatives of the global corporations and banks, and represent us in honest above board actions and negotiations. and encouraging all the people of the world to do the same with their governments. while there are still liars and sneaks, there will always be a need for spies secrets and intel. we need a global change of heart and mind. can it happen? i hope so.

    • 1 year ago
  • UrbanGypsy
    • +1
      UrbanGypsy  

    • All governments have secrets, some keep them better than others - that's just the way it is. The United States is not the only country with dirty laundry.

      I'd like to see some leaks of other countries - otherwise these seems like a personal vendetta against the United States and its allies.

      But it a great tool to hold governments accountable. One of the best things that ensures responsible government is the existence of a free press - and Wikileaks is as free as it comes... it puts the regular news to shame. Journalism looks amateur compared with the scoops and details being put out by Wikileaks.

      Personally, I'd love to see some of the inside details of the whole fiasco with the Banks in bed with the Government... I bet it must be SO JUICY...

    • 1 year ago
  • remanns
    • +2
      remanns  

    • You DO NOT "need" secrecy,....you FEAR NOT having it, and it brings some comfort to wrap yourself in anonymity; for people,....governments,......whole cultures.

      yep.

    • 1 year ago
  • ThatCrazyLibertarian
  • remanns
  • Itsbatman_Durr
    • 0
      Itsbatman_Durr  
    • remanns:

      well, unfortunately since the 'other guys' keep secrets, and behave poorly it in effect also forces all players in the global 'game' to maintain spy networks to monitor whether the 'truth' they get from others is actually true, and there will always be a need for secrecy in these dealings because of that. its a chicken and egg thing, for sure, and no nation imo holds the moral high-ground in this issue, but it would be nice to see more open honesty globally as we recognize we are all humankind, and not just residents of or particular nations

    • 1 year ago
  • alexandrek
  • Itsbatman_Durr
    • 0
      Itsbatman_Durr  
    • alexandrek:

      i agree in theory. but i am an honest person. but i lock my doors at night, and i dont want a third party to release my personal information or credit card numbers to the world. and sadly this is the case with national interactions as well.

    • 1 year ago
  • riverratt50
    • 0
      riverratt50  
    • Itsbatman_Durr:

      If you don't trust em don't associate with them. We arn't the world police, let them take care of them-selves and bring ALL the damn troops home from ALL countries, if they have a problem then there is someone that can take care of it. Korea got a problem? They got China to work it out. Middle East has a problem? They got Israel to work it out. Europe got a problem? They got Germany and England to work it out. We don't HAVE to, "play the global game" if we choose not to.

    • 1 year ago
  • remanns
    • +2
      remanns  

    • Get some ethical BALLS,...no bullshit,..... say it like it is, take your lumps like a man,....take the f-ing CONSEQUENCES of your ACTUAL stance,.....MAN UP,.. get REAL, talk "eye to eye",...don't be a "back alley" PUSSY ASSASSIN MANIPULATOR !

      if YOU CANT,....who really CARES if you live or die.

      ( I sure don't) Any "government of the people" that does THAT, sure as hell doesn't represent the "people" that is me.

      No quarter, no sympathy, good riddance,.....for the dishonorable; they dig their own grave, and I will gladly help shovel.

      NO ONE OWES SILENCE, they did not EXPLICITLY, PERSONALLY, AS A MAN,...swear to.

      p.s. "hear me now" ?

    • 1 year ago
  • pjacobs51
  • Itsbatman_Durr
    • 0
      Itsbatman_Durr  
    • remanns:

      so if for example we decide to no longer spy on other nations, and some other nation secretly plans and executes a nation destroying attack of one type or another on us because we trusted them to be cool, you are saying you would prefer to be dead and noble than alive and striving to reach the point where all people of the world deal honestly with each other in one on one or national discourse and interaction?

    • 1 year ago
  • alexandrek
  • Itsbatman_Durr
  • ThatCrazyLibertarian
  • CalgarC
  • Itsbatman_Durr
    • 0
      Itsbatman_Durr  
    • ThatCrazyLibertarian:

      i think we do have a right to know what they are up to. but i dont feel i have the right to know that one diplomat thought that the president of russia is ineffectual, in private conversation. we all say or think things at times that we would not want others to hear or see, whether it is to avoid conflict or embarrassment, or to just behave civilly in 'polite society' at least on a visible level.

    • 1 year ago
  • CalgarC
  • remanns
  • ThatCrazyLibertarian
  • CalgarC
  • Deadtheist
    • 0
      Deadtheist  
    • CalgarC:

      I'm not sure whether to insult you for making such a crass and rudimentary comment, but it's a perfectly simple summary of this entire situation. One positive vote coming right up.

    • 1 year ago
  • CalgarC
  • pjacobs51
  • remanns
  • riverratt50
    • 0
      riverratt50  
    • Image

    • I still want to see Hillary's explanation to Ban Ki-moon (The head of the UN) why she felt she needed credit card numbers, passwords, encryption codes, pin numbers and frequient flyer miles account numbers. Just who do we think we are anyway?

    • 1 year ago
  • ThatCrazyLibertarian
  • remanns
  • 4caracine
sgwhites
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