[WikiEN-l] Re: WikiEN-l Digest, Vol 21, Issue 7

Fri Apr 1 23:22:03 UTC 2005

Matt R <matt_crypto at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>Nah, my suspicion is that 99% of classified information would not directly
>place people in harm's way if released to the public. What it might do is cause
>the country concerned varying degrees of disadvantage and embarassment
>(economically, politically, diplomatically etc).

Note close refutation under "purpose":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classified_information

It's not about expressions of suspicion by random, unvetted members of
the general public.  It's about what professionals have determined will
be a likely outcome of the enemy's acquisition of the data.

In some cases, as I said, there are politicized examples of overclassified
data, but the security bureaucracy is tasked with ensuring that this is
minimized.  I'm all for making sure that information that should be free
is free.  I'm totally against making sure that information that should be
secret is published.

Whether the standards are different in different countries isn't relevant.

Someone might die if Wikipedia has such info online.  And at least two
people have continued arguing as though Wikipedia policy should be to
err on the side of plodding deliberation instead of quick prophylaxis.

I repeat my assertion that this is sad and scary.

--Blair