I just want to start by saying that I don't think that denial-of -service attacks are a fair way to engage in war. While they may slightly effect websites like Paypal they can do much greater damage to ordinary citizens. The small business person that uses Paypal to take payments or the small Ebay seller could be left without the money they rely on to feed their families. Are these hackers concerned about who may be hurt in the crossfire or are they more interested in proving a point?
Even though I am against DDOS I am pro WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks has the power to bring important information to ordinary people. As long as the information they are providing is not going to be endangering someone's life then they have the right to free speech and we should have the right to read what they post. As tax paying citizens of the United States we have the right to know what our government is doing. Like why do they threaten the use of deadly force if anyone gets too close to area 51? What are they hiding? Maybe finding out what is so top secret in area 51 should be WikiLeaks next goal. The government may not be too happy about WikiLeaks because they are providing information to ordinary citizens. Information equals power and the last thing the government wants is large masses of educated, empowered citizens. Not surprisingly the government is using the activity of these hacktivists to try to gain more control over the internet which would then give them more control over people. General Keith Alexander said that he needs "more access to e-mail, social networks, and the Internet to protect America". Isn't that what the government always says when they want to invade our privacy? I think enough is enough and the government should stop edging their way into our lives. If people want to look at or post on WikiLeaks, post a video on youtube, or even go without a seat belt they are not hurting anyone and the government should leave them alone.
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ReplyDelete(Playing Devil's advocate)
ReplyDeleteYou say, "As long as the information they are providing is not going to be endangering someone's life then they have the right to free speech and we should have the right to read what they post."
You sure about this? Private information that can be made public to 'ordinary people' can possibly start riots and cause a lot of havoc in ordinary communities. Even though we, as humans, have a right to know certain information, that information could be detrimental in sustaining order in our own nations if every single piece of information was revealed to the public via a site like Wikileaks.
I'm with MrMurrell on this one. Any kind of information has the potential to be used for harm. For example, knowing how much food a person buys at the store can tell you how many people are living with them. Looking at what kind of products they buy can tell you gender, age, habits, etc.. All of that is great information for a thief looking for an easy mark, for instance.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with you. You stated, "WikiLeaks has the power to bring important information to ordinary people." Most of this "important" information is not held important to every day people. It does not better their lives. People are simply curious and want to know. And somewhere along the way we have developed a false sense of entitlement without considering the consequences of such information being made public. Information is held private on the government level for a reason. It needs to be left that way.
ReplyDelete