Wikileaks – the web’s notorious whistleblower of secrets and leaks – is up to their antics once again as they are in the process of releasing millions of diplomatic cables from many of the world’s government agencies. While some call the leaks threats to national security, others are hailing it as a blow against corruption and secrecy.
See, transparency in government is a good thing. Nay, it is a GREAT thing.
Transparency is exactly what we need to shift power away from the hands of the leaders and into the hands of the public. Transparency keeps governments and politicians accountable to us – the public – and not the other way around. This helps prevents us from falling under the rule of dictatorships and totalitarian regimes.
Today, in the Information Age, we could have a completely transparent government should we just demand it and then make it happen.
For example, imagine being able to go online to see a exact breakdown of government budgets and spending, for any level of government. We could see exactly how much money is coming in, see salaries, follow every dime of taxpayer money, and see where the fat and corruption truly is.
Of course those who are living high on the hog wouldn’t want their pork barrels to be visible to the public, which is why when budgets are released they only deal with broad numbers and obtuse figures to keep the public in the dark.
Transparency is a great thing for freedom and democracy, and for keeping a check on those in power. Kudos to Wikileaks for taking a risk and paving the way to a brighter, more open future for all.
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Update – While Wikileaks initially said this leak would be 7x the size of the Iraq war release, it appears that they only have about 250,000+ cables to release.
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Tags: accountability, cables, diplomatic, transparency, wikileaks
