They say ” lack of transparency results in distrust and deep sense of insecurity”.

But they also say “Privacy is power, what people don’t know cannot be ruined”. Since the creation of the internet, classified government information is slowly leaking to the public and sites, such as WikiLeaks, reveal a darker image of governmental decisions. With that being said, some people support WikiLeaks highlighting the necessity of government transparency. While others oppose it stating that it will threaten military operations and diplomatic relations. Both sides turn out to reveal some kind of concern towards the safety of citizens, and this can be attained by creating some limits and regulations regarding the leaks of this site.

Many civil right organizations have so far openly supported WikiLeaks. The reasoning behind their support is based on the fair rules and justified functionality of democracy and civil society. If secrecy of administrative documents is used to cover the government misbehavior, there must be legal grounds to overcome formal boarders of secrecy. However, several governmental officials state that WikiLeaks harmed diplomatic relations and put the lives of staff in sensitive positions at risk, it could even threaten military operations and that may put the country in jeopardy. For example, the biggest leak WikiLeaks has ever released were some US military documents from the Afghan and Iraq war.

While the goal of those who support WikiLeaks is to achieve transparency, democracy, a civil society and also to reveal the dark truth of governmental misbehavior. On the contrary, the other side’s purpose is to protect the secrecy of governments in order not to harm the diplomatic relations. It seems that both sides are concerned about the safety of citizens as they express the need of maintaining a good relationship between the government and the public. Therefore, these two opposing views wish the best for the country but in two different approaches.

Since both perspectives care about the interest of citizens, the best solution that will satisfy them is to establish some regulations and rules concerning the leaks of WikiLeaks. For instance, it would be credible if the website created a policy regarding rumors; all information should be examined in advance. Furthermore, the leaked information should be both important for citizens still not threatening to the government. This way, the public will not be fed up with false news and the government will be safe from any crises.

Overall, as one side advocates for the government to be transparent and the other for its secrecy, one thing both have in common is the desire for a safe civil country. The way to solve that, as it was mentioned, is to create rules and regulations governing the leaks of the website WikiLeaks, which is in my opinion the best way to achieve public security and peace.

Khaoula Jraif

Semester 3, Department of English Studies

Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida