WikiLeaks release of government information causes damage to the nation

           Recently, a website called WikiLeaks has been releasing videos, information, and documents that are classified as confidential and top secret to the government.

            Besides blatantly ignoring government policies and desires, the leaking of this highly secretive information leads to more bad than good. WikiLeaks is open to anyone around the world with access to the internet, meaning lots of covert operations and or plans will be revealed to all other nations. Leakage of information on spies and undercover agents may heavily endanger their lives.

            Sure, some people will argue that it is important for people to know what their government is doing to ensure that they are being humane and just in their actions. But exactly how useful is it for the public to know every single move the government makes? All people have different opinions on different matters, and many videos and documents are classified because they deal with controversial subjects. If people had access to this information, there would very likely be lots of conflict between civilians with different views, and there would be chaos and disorder throughout the nation. Also, many people would not understand the thought process and reason put into every action the government makes or would misinterpret many videos.

For example, take one of WikiLeaks most recently released videos into account. The video is a full 45 minutes of U.S. troops in a helicopter in Baghdad shooting at a group of seemingly innocent civilians. Most people who view the videos would think what the soldiers were doing were awful and inhumane, and many would overreact and immediately call for justice by causing more riots and disorder throughout the nation. However, upon further research, it was discovered that all the targets had AK-47’s themselves and had a high possibility of being terrorists. By targeting them down from the air earlier, the U.S. may have been saving many more lives that would have been endangered if the potential terrorists were left alive.

Ultimately there is not much good that comes from releasing confidential government information, and it is much better if people mind their own business.