Wikileaks

[raeleen]

Hello all!

 

I think we leave in really exciting times where the power of information is becoming even greater! It is best seen these days in Wikileaks. I don't know how many of you have been following this story but they are distributing information from the government of America over the Internet which includes state secrets! It is hard to say what they're doing is good or bad. I would like to think it's good but we still don't know what all is in the files they have!

 

All of that having been said the power they can have just by having a web site is pretty amazing to me. Wikileaks may be the most powerful web site that has ever existed.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

We've got a discussion going about their latest release, plus one about the criminal charges against Assange, though I recognize you won't be able to participate there until you have 30 posts.

 

This being the Computer Science section, though, I can bring up what I find most fascinating about Wikileaks: this is the beginning of many similar sites and leaks. Now the world knows that it's possible, with encryption and technology, to securely and anonymously leak all sorts of secrets to the world. Even if Assange is arrested, Wikileaks shut down, and new legislation enacted, there's nearly nothing that can be done to prevent another similar site from appearing with stronger defenses.

 

I'm reminded of Napster and the early days of filesharing. The record companies fought back, but even with Napster out of business and lawsuits flying, music sharing can't be stopped. I think the same goes for Wikileaks. The technology can't be uninvented.

[raeleen]

Hi thanks for your reply. I'll check out the discussion if I get to 30 posts!

 

Should I not post stuff like this in the Computer Sciences forum?

 

In my opinion Computer Science doesn't count as a real science! Sorry to be inflammatory!

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

It's fine to post this kind of thing in Computer Science if you want to discuss the computer science aspects of it, so I have no issue there. Whether or not computer science is a "real" science doesn't really matter to me, although you could certainly open a discussion on that...

[raeleen]

lol I don't want to start a big argument, but it IS a big pet peeve of mine when people tack "science" onto things that are obviously NOT, like computer science, political science, military science. we are learning python in my bioinformatics course and I don't see anything scientific about it! if you ask me scientists come up with the models and the math and all the "computer science" people do is type it into a computer. how scientific is that?

[jackson33]

raeleen; I had noticed your thread when first offered, basically agreeing WL may be one of the most important web sites ever offered. I would disagree somewhat on the powerful angle in that many sites may have influenced society in much greater ways.

 

Back to WL and it's influence, to me it's simply the advancement of media in general. Something that was inevitable and another means for people to vent their grievance for perceived injustices over an International media/format, taking the place of the "Letter To The Editor", so to speak type. Also I believe WK or something like it is here to stay, no less than Amazon was the forerunner for major on line retailers. I see no reason, pending problem outcomes, this site can't develop into a viable media source, possibly even someday going public.

 

On Computer Science versus say Political Science, IMO there is a place for both. What drives the Political Science, my favorite area, are the reasons and mechanisms that created the different ideologies of world political systems. You should admit there has been a great deal of science involved in the advancement of the Computer since the day's of IBM's first offerings in the 1950's. If so those that developed the various systems, had a great deal of understanding in more than one of the sciences. Then nano-technology (purely a science) another of my interest has made remarkable advances in making room size models into some very small boxes and even transistors over tubes another science advancement has helped.

 

If interested in anything offered under politics on WL, I'd suggest a PM to CR (since he has responded to your thread) and he might grant you permission to post in Politics. You certainly don't appear to be a spammer, troller or whatever this Forum fears and it would NOT be the first time, new posters have been granted access. Anyway from this occasional poster, welcome to the forum.

[raeleen]

hi jackson33,

 

I am not really interested in arguing politics! I am happy that in my university it is a monoculture of liberals I was mostly interested in Wikileaks because of the power of information. I don't really know what to think about whether that power is good or not, but it is power!

[khaled]

It is logic, which is what systems are built over ...

 

Even Chaos and Noise are systems, "God does not play dice" --Einstein

 

 

Why do you think people who leaks secret documents of great countries are more famous than Hollywood actors,

and they are left free to walk around, even in the streets of the countries they are publishing their secret documents,

While these countries send missiles to bomb over a whole area, because of an assumption that someone dangerous

is hiding in that area ...

 

I think that either these documents were meant to be published, or they are fake, else those countries would send

snipers to assassinate them, missiles to take off their basements ...

 

Edited January 20, 2011 by khaled