Even if the perturbed powers that be are able to take down WikiLeaks, state secrets will never again be as secret as they used to be. A website can be created on a netbook from a cafe anywhere in the world, instantaneously disseminating information to millions. WikiLeaks is like the original Napster–yeah, that site was shut down, but I can still download the new Katy Perry album if I really wanted to.
And like file sharing, the concept of secret sharing is spreading through the wilds of the internet in various incarnations, never to be tamed. This past Friday saw the introduction of Indoleaks.org, a WikiLeak-inspired outlet written in Indonesian and specifically focusing on secrets from that archipelago nation. The site’s tag line “Sebab informasi adalah hak asasi” translates into “Because information is a human right.”
Apparent published secrets on the site date back as far as 1975, detailing meetings between former US President Gerald Ford and former Indonesian President Suharto, and as recent as 2005 with an official document recommending further investigations into the role of government officials into the death of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.
According to a story on The Jakarta Globe, the site has only been intermittently accessible, but I had no problem getting through whenever I tired. An Indonesian government spokesman said the site is currently not a huge concern commenting “We will only monitor this site to find out what kind of information it will release.”
The US has, by far, been the largest source of published leaks, leading critics of WikiLeaks to call them out as “terrorists” or “enemies of the state.” But, these sites are just emblematic of the new flattened order of the world. The concept of a completely secure secret is a quaint relic. And that’s a reality all nations are going to face in very short order.
Post a Comment