“Leaks” Turn to Heavy Flows

Wikileaks.org – a site that allows users to post information that would otherwise be difficult or impossible for the general public to access, such as

• 2003 operations manual from the prison at Guantanamo Bay
• Information about offshore banking activity (complete with details about companies and person inv0lved.)
• FBI Patriot Act abuse

and more, was brought to court, and the domain name ordered closed by a Federal Judge on February 14, 2008. It’s interesting to note that Wikileaks was not closed down due to it’s general purpose -a vehicle for free speec- but due to the complaints of one bank – Bank Julius Baer – over Wikileaks refusal to remove what Bank Julius Baer considered “sensitive information” concerning on of their wealthier clients. The decision has been described as tantamount to closing down an entire newspaper over a single article.

The order backfired. Not only was Wikileaks infomration still aviable at other domainextentions, but could still be accessed directly through it’s IP address. Wikileaks claims (since upheld) that this order violated the First Amendment and the resulting news coverage made Wikileaks a more high-profile source of non-mainstream news than before.

Public outcry over this clear violation of the First Amendment caused U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White to reverse his order. Wikileaks.org is now accessible through that domain name – with a bright yellow banner at the top protesting their treatment by US Courts.

Officials at Bank Julius Baer claim that it was never their intention to have the site shut down, only to have specific information – which they claim is “cyber-slander”posted by a disgruntled former employee removed.

While I, personally, am on the side of Wikileaks – there is an interesting question here about where the lawn is drawn between free speech and the right to privacy. Wherever that line may be drawn, the fact is that Wikileaks is now more well-known, and quite possibly more powerful, than before. As long as those who access the site understand the nature of a Wiki (it is publicly editable) and make the effort to further investigate information they find there to check its validity – I believe Wikileaks will continue to grow as a valuable resource for information.