Controversial website WikiLeaks has published the entire archive of hacked e-mails lifted from the inner workings of Sony Pictures. The website has claimed that the information held within the archive warrants the entire collection to be maintained and protected for the public to see.
One of the reasons behind the enshrining of the hack’s contents on WikiLeaks is the damning evidence within the archive that links several high profile US political figures with the non government affiliated Sony Pictures. Correspondence includes details of events such as meetings where media executives and government officials seemingly met to discuss the nature of the media being shown.
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In other words, the clear links between a worldwide media distributor and a government give a clear insight into how the modern media is in a way under the control of politicians. For activists who frequent WikiLeaks, it’s yet more confirmation of what they already suspect. Therefore, preserving such information paves the way for better public understanding of the issue, and allows people to cite real sources for accusations of corruption.
In fact, WikiLeaks has gone one step ahead – they’ve compiled and extracted the complicated information from the archive and made it easier to view. There’s a search engine and web based content for all to see, meaning you won’t need a lot of memory to get into the files, as was required previously. If Sony’s dirty laundry wasn’t public enough, now it is even more so.
Of course, some people were not impressed. The data was, of course, stolen from Sony by an illegal act of intrusion – the hack itself. Chris Dodd, a former US senator and now chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, spoke out with venom against the release.
“This information was stolen from Sony Pictures as part of an illegal and unprecedented cyberattack,” he wrote in a press statement. “Wikileaks is not performing a public service by making this information easily searchable. Instead, with this despicable act, Wikileaks is further violating the privacy of every person involved.”
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Of course, the link between the US government and the media is again obvious, but Dodd does have a point, although it raises a question. If somebody goes against a law with the intention to expose corruption, are they a blessing or a curse, a hero, or a villain? The answer to this question ultimately divides us all.
Visit the Wikileaks archive here to learn more. Users may wish to use an anonymous browser or other secure service before browsing the archive.
Via: Techspot
Via: The Guardian