Global InformationReception of WikiLeaks information
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WikiLeaks, a whistleblowing website founded by Julian Assange, has received praise as well as criticism from the public, hacktivists, journalist organisations and government officials. The organisation has revealed human rights abuses and was the target of an alleged "cyber war". Allegations have been made that Wikileaks worked with or was exploited by the Russian government and acted in a partisan manner during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
The organisation has won awards, including The Economist's New Media Award in 2008 at the Index on Censorship Awards[1] and Amnesty International's UK Media Award in 2009.[2][3] In 2010, the New York Daily News listed WikiLeaks first among websites "that could totally change the news"[4] and the UK Information Commissioner stated that "WikiLeaks is part of the phenomenon of the online, empowered citizen".[5] In its first days, an Internet petition calling for the cessation of extrajudicial intimidation of WikiLeaks attracted over six hundred thousand signatures.[6] Supporters of WikiLeaks in the media and academia have commended it for exposing state and corporate secrets, increasing transparency, supporting freedom of the press, and enhancing democratic discourse while challenging powerful institutions.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]
Several U.S. government officials have criticised WikiLeaks for exposing classified information and claimed that the leaks harm U.S. national security and compromise international diplomacy.[14][15][16][17][18] The issues of concern are the publication of sensitive information and the anonymity afforded by the internet.[19] Several human rights organisations requested that WikiLeaks adequately redact the names of civilians working with international forces, in order to protect lives.[20] Some journalists have criticised a perceived lack of editorial discretion when releasing thousands of documents at once and without sufficient analysis.[21]
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, expressed concern about pressure being placed on private companies to enact a financial blockade against WikiLeaks, which Pillay said was a violation of WikiLeaks' right to freedom of expression.[22][23] A United Nations Special Rapporteur expressed concern about government and corporate attempts to censor WikiLeaks.[24][non-primary source needed]
- ^ "Winners of Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards Announced". Index on Censorship. 22 April 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ "The Cry of Blood. Report on Extra-Judicial Killings and Disappearances". Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. 2008. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ "Amnesty announces Media Awards 2009 winners" (Press release). Amnesty International UK. 2 June 2009. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ Reso, Paulina (20 May 2010). "5 pioneering Web sites that could totally change the news". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on 27 August 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ Curtis, Polly (30 December 2010). "Ministers must 'wise up not clam up' after WikiLeaks disclosures". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ "Media says government's reaction to WikiLeaks 'troubling'". The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 December 2010. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
- ^ Kampfner, John (29 November 2010). "Wikileaks shows up our media for their docility at the feet of authority". The Independent. London. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ Shafer, Jack (30 November 2010). "Why I Love WikiLeaks". Slate. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ Greenwald, Glenn (30 November 2010). "WikiLeaks reveals more than just government secrets". Salon.com. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ Gilmore, Dan (6 December 2010). "Defend WikiLeaks or lose free speech". Salon.com. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ "First, They Came for WikiLeaks. Then..." The Nation. New York. 27 December 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- ^ Ruane, Medb (11 December 2010). "Where's the democracy in hunting Wikileaks off the Net?". Irish Independent. Dublin. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ Nayar, Pramod K. (25 December 2010). "WikiLeaks, the New Information Cultures and Digital Parrhesia" (PDF). Economic & Political Weekly. Mumbai. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 January 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
- ^ "Congress Mulls How to Stop WikiLeaks in Its Tracks". Fox News. Associated Press. 7 April 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
- ^ Richter, Paul (19 November 2010). "U.S. tries to contain damage from WikiLeaks disclosures". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ^ Epstein, Jennifer (1 December 2010). "Bill Clinton: WikiLeaks will cost lives". Politico. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
- ^ "Clinton blasts 'deeply distressing' leak of US sites". AFP. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ^ "Outrage and Apologies: Washington Fights to Rebuild Battered Reputation". Spiegel International. Hamburg. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
- ^ Zajacz, R (2013). "WikiLeaks and the problem of anonymity: A network control perspective". Media, Culture & Society. 35 (4): 489. doi:10.1177/0163443713483793. S2CID 145540359.
- ^ "WikiLeaks asked to censor secret files". Herald Sun. Melbourne. Associated Press. 11 August 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
- ^ "Open letter to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange: "A bad precedent for the Internet's future"". Reporters Sans Frontières. 12 August 2010. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
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