WikiLeaks Have you ever heard of it? What is it?

WikiLeaks is a not-for-profit media organization. Our goal is to bring important news and information to the public. We provide an innovative, secure and anonymous way for sources to leak information to our journalists. One of our most important activities is to publish original source material alongside our news stories so readers and historians alike can see evidence of the truth. We are a young organization that has grown very quickly, relying on a network of dedicated volunteers around the globe. Since 2007, when the organization was officially launched, WikiLeaks has worked to report on and publish important information.

What is it? The broader principles on which our work is based are the defense of freedom of speech and media publishing, the improvement of our common historical record and the support of the rights of all people to create new history. We derive these principles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In particular, Article 19 inspires the work of our journalists and other volunteers. It states that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

HOW DOES IT WORK? WikiLeaks has combined high-end security technologies with journalism and ethical principles. Like other media outlets conducting investigative journalism, we accept anonymous sources of information. Unlike other outlets, we provide a high security anonymous drop box fortified by cutting-edge cryptographic information technologies. This provides maximum protection to our sources. We are fearless in our efforts to get the unvarnished truth out to the public. When information comes in, our journalists analyze the material, verify it and write a news piece about it describing its significance to society. We then publish both the news story and the original material in order to enable readers to analyze the story in the context of the original source material themselves. Our news stories are in the comfortable presentation style of Wikipedia, although the two organizations are not otherwise related. Unlike Wikipedia, random readers can not edit our source documents.

TOPICS LEAKED? War, killings, torture and detention Government, trade and corporate transparency Suppression of free speech and a free press Diplomacy, spying and (counter-)intelligence Ecology, climate, nature and sciences Corruption, finance, taxes, trading Censorship technology and internet filtering Cults and other religious organizations Abuse, violence, violation

Importance Why do you think WikiLeaks is important? How could it benefit citizens around the world? Why would governments and corporations be wary of WikiLeaks?

Importance Today, with authoritarian governments in power in much of the world, increasing authoritarian tendencies in democratic governments, and increasing amounts of power vested in unaccountable corporations, the need for openness and transparency is greater than ever. WikiLeaks interest is the revelation of the truth. Unlike the covert activities of state intelligence agencies, as a media publisher WikiLeaks relies upon the power of overt fact to enable and empower citizens to bring feared and corrupt governments and corporations to justice.

Problems Why might some people view WikiLeaks negatively? What could be some possible negative effects that occur due to the leaking of sensitive information to WikiLeaks?

Video Watch

Example Leaks Thinking about an eventual collapse of North Korea: American and South Korean officials have discussed the prospects for a unified Korea, should the North economic troubles and political transition lead the state to implode. The South Koreans even considered commercial inducements to China, according to the American ambassador to Seoul. She told Washington in February that South Korean officials believe that the right business deals would help ease China’s concerns about living with a reunified Korea that is in a benign alliance with the United States.

Example A global computer hacking effort: China Politburo directed the intrusion into Google computer systems in that country, a Chinese contact told the American Embassy in Beijing in January, one cable reported. The Google hacking was part of a coordinated campaign of computer sabotage carried out by government operatives, private security experts and Internet outlaws recruited by the Chinese government. They have broken into American government computers and those of Western allies, the Dalai Lama and American businesses since 2002, cables said.

Example Mixed records against terrorism: Saudi donors remain the chief financiers of Sunni militant groups like Al Qaeda, and the tiny Persian Gulf state of Qatar, a generous host to the American military for years, was the worst in the region in counterterrorism efforts, according to a State Department cable last December. Qatar security service was hesitant to act against known terrorists out of concern for appearing to be aligned with the U.S. and provoking reprisals, the cable said.

WikiLeaks What are some things you’ve learned from our discussion and/or the video? What is your personal opinion on WikiLeaks now that you’ve learned about it?