Government Transparency Vs National Security

Wikileaks is a not-for profit organisation that allows anonymous sources to send information to. This is information they feel should be in the public domain and is in the public’s best interest to be known. The organisation is a platform for whistleblowers to be heard and plays a very important role as an anti corruption tool and one that supports government transparency. The notion of government transparency versus national security is a fine line, as no one quite knows which is more important. 



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A positive example of government transparency through the use of ICT’s is the US government’s creation of websites that allow people to view data related to expenditure, in order to promote government monitoring of spending. This gives everyday citizens a means to access such information and allows them to be more involved and informed about what is going on, making democracy work better.

Internet filtering however plays a major role in the success of a government’s transparency. If people do not have the ability to access information that they feel passionate about or that which is in their interests to know, how can people be making informed decisions? There are currently more than three-dozen nations, mostly in East Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, and central Africa that filter access to the Internet. China is an example of a country with strict limitations on Internet censorship; they prohibit access to many social networking sites like Facebook. This could then in turn be restricting Chinese citizen’s rights to discuss and debate issues. 



As defined by Jenkins this ‘collective meaning making’ that people are taking part in within popular culture is changing the way politics, law and education operates. Many people today do not just listen to the Channel 9 nightly news and take its word as gospel; they seek out alternative forms of media and want to look at the facts for themselves and discuss them with others. Wikileaks publishing the original source documents permits citizens to do this by witnessing exactly what the stories and articles are basing their information on. Along with citizen journalism this is increasingly becoming a way for people to look at things from a perspective that is not going to be constrained by mainstream media agendas or gatekeepers. Blogging is also an important social media tool that facilitates such unrestrained voices to be heard. The media may not be doing its job if it is not questioning government and facilitating this transparency to occur.

On the other hand however should the government and organisations have the right to some form of privacy and secrecy? If everyone was able to see all aspects of government documents this could be aiding terrorist or criminal activities to occur. Military plans and activities need to be kept a secret as this could put a country at risk if their enemies knew what they were planning. This could affect not only military personal but it could also impact their families back at home. Documentation of information relating to foreign policy negotiations also needs to be kept private, as the other countries shouldn’t know all the inner workings and motivations behind specific policies. Information that may be used in a damaging way by a specific person or group should also be kept secret, as this could have a detrimental effect on their lives. 

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