Is Wikileaks is a threat to the United States national security?

[Darxmarth23]

So I'm going to have to debate this topic at a highschool debate tournament. Yes, I'm still in high school. Only 16 in fact.

I think it would be fun to debate this here because the format isn't nearly as restricted as high school public forum debate can be.

The statement is : Wikileaks is a thread to the United States national security.

You can argue PRO, stating that...
- The leaked documents harmed diplomacy, potentially threatening the national security.
- Documents regarding military operations can be leaked, causing the operations to be compromised, thus potentially harming national security.
- The documents expose locations of vital interests.
-Can spread misinformation.
- Whatever you can think of to argue this side.

Or you can go CON, stating that...
- Wikileaks is just an intermediary between the leaks themselves and the public. Don't shoot the messenger.
- Wikileaks causes the U.S to be aware of what other countries know about the U.S, allowing them to adjust accordingly.
- Wikileaks never presented anything harmful anyways.
- Whatever you can think of to argue this side.

What do you guys think of it?

 

[rvkevin]

Be aware that Wikileaks has criteria that must be met before they will publish something. If you went into it thinking that Wikileaks would publish anything and everything, your opponent could easily make you look foolish.

- Documents regarding military operations can be leaked, causing the operations to be compromised, thus potentially harming national security.

One of the criteria is that the document must be "of political, diplomatic, historical or ethical interest." I doubt that troop movements would qualify.

-Can spread misinformation.

Wikileaks is also very critical of its sources. Part of their guidelines is that they only accept original documents and don't take self-authored documents unless its an official document. If you're going to use this point, you might as well indict the entire news industry since they probably use less stringent guidelines than Wikileaks.

 

[Budget Player Cadet_]

Another thing worth noting is that wikileaks is known to edit out any names that could cause real harm to anyone not directly responsible or actual physical harm to anyone (for example, the CIA agent following orders in the field whose life would be endangered by releasing his information has very little to worry about); no lives are put in danger.

Wikileaks is a threat to the USA national security, but it's only because the USA has entrenched itself in clandestine operations with its allies that its citizens, and to a more critical extent its allies' citizens, would not be happy about. It's the USA's own fault. Furthermore, you have to consider to whom exactly it poses a threat-hardly to the US citizens who are oblivious about this. They won't feel the heat. The people who will, and rightfully should feel the heat, are the people who the leaks are actually about-the people who are doing clandestine bull**** behind our backs that we honestly should've known about, and that honestly shouldn't have happened in the first place (for example, the whole "imposing bull**** copyright laws on sweden" thing).

Wikileaks is a threat to our "national security" in the same way that any fair and balanced news source is.

 

[rvkevin]

Wikileaks is a threat to the USA national security, but it's only because the USA has entrenched itself in clandestine operations with its allies that its citizens, and to a more critical extent its allies' citizens, would not be happy about. It's the USA's own fault.

Yea, it's like asking if the police are a threat criminals. Even if they are, it doesn't follow that the Police (or in this case, Wikileaks) should be shut down, which is kind of the implication of the question. Even if the answer is yes, it doesn't mean that its a bad thing.

Edit: Just found this.

 

[\/aarsivius]

I personally believe Wikileaks is like BT. Two people are talking to each other through a telephone line, which runs from User 1 to BT to User 2. Wikileaks is like that, but it is a one way unwilling line from the USA secrecy to the outside world. Don't shoot the messenger, he did not make the message. And anyway, it's not blueprints for a big-*** nuke, pre-packaged and will be sent to Iraq, is it? No use has came from Wikileaks apart from seeing stuff that should be free in a country with "free speech"! America was founded on the belief of free speech! And Wikileaks, although from a different country, is a patriot! And what is the founder rewarded with? A jail sentence. Wikileaks is just a messenger, and it was shot. Shot in the head and is in critical state in the hospital.

Also, if Wikileaks is a threat to security, then so are telephones. If telephones are a threat to security, then so are people. Wikileaks is integral to the US.

EDIT: I think I've owned this thread.