Essay Undergraduate 1,485 words

WikiLeaks, Snowden, and Defense Information Systems Ethics

~8 min read 4 sections Ethics · Ethical Issues

Abstract

This paper examines the ethical dimensions of information technology in an era defined by WikiLeaks, Edward Snowden, and Chelsea Manning. It traces the rise of WikiLeaks as a platform for publishing government secrets, drawing comparisons to earlier transparency milestones such as the Pentagon Papers leak by Daniel Ellsberg. The paper analyzes the competing ethical obligations governments face — maintaining secrecy for national security while remaining accountable to the public — and considers the role of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) in securing federal networks. It also explores how the public's growing demand for government transparency has fueled a culture of digital activism, whistleblowing, and hacking, raising unresolved questions about the long-term security of digital infrastructure.

Key Takeaways

Introduction: Framing the secrecy vs. transparency conflict in the Digital Age
The Rise of WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks, Assange, and the politics of leaked secrets
The Issue of Ethics and Accountability: Competing ethical obligations of governments and citizens
Conclusion: Unresolved tension between digital security and public demand

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What makes this paper effective

It grounds abstract ethical questions in concrete, well-known cases — Snowden, Manning, Assange, and Ellsberg — giving readers recognizable reference points that anchor the argument.
It presents genuinely competing perspectives without dismissing either side, acknowledging both the government's security obligations and the public's democratic right to accountability.
The historical comparison between the Pentagon Papers and Digital Age leaks is particularly effective, showing that the same ethical tensions have persisted across decades while the stakes have escalated.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper demonstrates the technique of parallel case comparison — placing Ellsberg's Pentagon Papers leak alongside the Manning, Snowden, and Assange incidents to highlight how context, technology, and political climate alter public and legal responses to ostensibly similar acts. This approach shows rather than tells why ethical judgments are complex and historically contingent.

Structure breakdown

The paper follows a four-section structure: an introduction establishing the central tension between secrecy and transparency; a narrative section tracing the rise of WikiLeaks and its political consequences; an analytical section weighing the ethical arguments on both sides while introducing DISA's institutional response; and a conclusion that synthesizes the dilemma and poses an open question about the sustainability of digital infrastructure. This moves logically from context to analysis to implication.

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Essay 1,485 words

Introduction

The protection of America's secrets — military information, data obtained through surveillance, and other sensitive materials — has been a top priority since Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, and WikiLeaks came on the scene. Julian Assange, now under arrest in England and wanted in connection with Manning's hacking of federal documents, has become the emblem of the information wars being conducted in the Digital Age. For some, Assange is a hero; for others, particularly those with authority in the State, he is an enemy. On one hand, Assange, Snowden, and Manning represent the need and right of the public to know what its governments are doing in the face of diminishing transparency. On the other hand, they represent a serious threat to the security of the State and its defense information systems. This paper discusses the ethical issues related to the use of information technology and how information technology plays a role in the era of Snowden, Manning, and WikiLeaks, particularly with respect to its impact on defense information systems.

3 Sections Hidden · 950 words

The Rise of WikiLeaks370 words

Munro (2016) has noted that WikiLeaks has spawned an era of deterritorialization, which has helped bring about an entire network of digital crusaders — such as Anonymous and many other hacker groups — all of whom are dedicated to obtaining state department secrets and publishing information about governments that can expose corruption to the public. Assange, for instance, is wanted in the U.S. in connection with…

The Issue of Ethics and Accountability420 words

By comparing these two accounts — the theft and publication of the Pentagon Papers and the theft of NSA spying data and information on the war in Iraq (leaked by Snowden and Manning respectively) — one sees the ethical line blurred by the numerous perspectives on the matter. Ellsberg never went to jail for his leak of the Pentagon…

Conclusion160 words

While defense information systems should be secured for the good of the State, its missions, and the protection and security of the public, the public also feels that it should have access to everything those in government are doing, because they want the government to be by, for, and of them. In their view, they have as much right to government documents…

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References

Cuillier, D. (2017). Government information and leaks. In Social Media and the Law (pp. 159–173). Routledge.

Gabbard, D. (2017). Consolidated energy: Hillary Clinton and the 2016 US presidential campaign. Continental Thought & Theory, 1(2), 1–27.

Munro, I. (2016). Organizational resistance as a vector of deterritorialization: The case of WikiLeaks and secrecy havens. Organization, 23(4), 567–587.

Key Concepts in This Paper

WikiLeaks Government Secrecy Whistleblowing Digital Security DISA Public Accountability Pentagon Papers Cold War 2.0 Hacker Activism Information Ethics