Quadriga

Julian Assange

For the US government, Julian Assange is a security risk. But the Australian online activist, best known for his involvement with WikiLeaks, sees himself as a champion of free information. To the horror of many politicians, the WikiLeaks website released 90,000 secret documents on the conflict in Afghanistan. Assange compared the release to the opening of the archives of the East German secret police, the Stasi.

Assange hopes the publication of the documents will influence public opinion and possibly even sway those with political clout. It is considered unlikely that the publication will prompt a change in NATO’s strategy. But it without doubt a significant moment in the age of the Internet.

The Web is emerging as a threat to warring nations. Top secret information leaked to the public domain could decide over victory or defeat. If secrecy is breached, the course of events can be changed. There are differing opinions on whether Internet leaks are right or wrong. But they cannot be ignored. And the Afghanistan leak seems certain to galvanise opposition in the US to the conflict.

Assange's formula is simple. He encourages government and corporate whistleblowers to step forward with secret documents. He then protects them with the promise of complete anonymity. The Afghanistan leak sets a new precedent:

WikiLeaks was handed top secret files from a military insider and then passed this information to the New York Times, The Guardian, and Germany's Der Spiegel. As new revelations about the Afghanistan conflict come to light, the site can expect more hits, more investment and more access to informants.

WikiLeaks' increasing prominence has brought the site under the glare of critics. So far, Assange has managed to dodge questions about transparency and professional standards. He cannot be held accountable in the same way as newspapers and television stations. So who should regulate this new form of whistleblowing? How do sites like WikiLeaks change the way we handle sensitive information? And can we trust information published this way? These questions aren't just aimed at WikiLeaks, the Internet as a whole provides new opportunities for accessing all kinds of information, both for the good and for the bad.

What do you think? Whistleblowing on the Internet - the end of secrecy?

E-mail us at: Quadriga@dw-world.de

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Our guests:

Tom Goeller

Tom Goeller – a German native - is the Berlin correspondent for the "Washington Times". After studying American History, he embarked on a career in journalism in 1986. Goeller worked for newspapers, such as "Die Welt", and the German public TV network ARD. He specialises in international relations, with a focus on the Middle East.

Markus Beckedahl

Markus Beckedahl - Since 2002, Beckedahl has been blogging about politics in a digital society at netzpolitik.org, an award-winning blog widely read across the German-speaking parts of the world. He is also co-founder of "newthinking communications", a Berlin-based agency specializing in open-source strategies and digital culture. Beckedahl has been organizing re:publica's conferences on blogs, social media and digital society since 2007. He serves as an expert to the German parliament's Enquete Commission on Internet and Digital Society and is a member of the media council for the Berlin-Brandenburg Media Broadcasting Authority. Beckedahl also teaches as a college lecturer on digital media topics.

Paul-Anton Krüger - Krüger joined the online editorial department at German daily "Süddeutsche Zeitung" after completing a degree in law and attending journalism school in Munich. He has worked as a freelance journalist for a variety of publications during multiple stays abroad in Israel, Australia and the United States. Krüger currently works as a writer and reporter for the foreign affairs desk at "Süddeutsche Zeitung", where he coordinates the newspaper's cooperation with the New York Times News Service. Security policy is his main area of interest.