There is so much going on with Wikileaks that it’s hard to know where to start. Here are some of the questions that I am thinking about:
Will the cable leaks make diplomacy harder or easier? Is the answer different for the long-term versus the short-term? A foundational question for this is: what is the role of secrecy in negotiations? And more generally in relationship, business, government?
What is the system and procedure design that made it possible for Pfc. Manning to access this much data without it being detected? Would it be possible to design a system and procedures that are not susceptible to this kind of massive leak?
Once there has been a massive leak like this, what should be the proper response by government? By the media? By individuals? By hosting companies, DNS providers etc?
What does all of this say about the power of the Internet to change society? And society to change the Internet?
My recent experience with stimulating discussion around the Google-Groupon deal would suggest providing one-sided answers in a definitive voice. And that is certainly the approach that many people on both sides have taken. But these questions strike me as really difficult and so I struggle with doing that. Writing a post on the weekend (which I don’t usually do) to at least formulate the questions is a start.
