By JOHN W. DEAN WikiLeaks: For Better or Worse -- or Both?

By JOHN W. DEAN

WikiLeaks: For Better or Worse -- or Both?

FindLaw columnist and former counsel to the president John Dean comments on the WikiLeaks controversy, which culminated this week with the arrest of WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Julian Assange. Dean argues that the best attitude toward WikiLeaks is a moderate one, contending that "those who see Assange and other WikiLeaks members as evil and horrifying are just as wrong as those who find them heroic and praiseworthy." In making his case, Dean draws upon the work of philosopher Sissela Bok, who argues that societies need some level of secrecy, and that there is a critical difference between leakers and whistleblowers, who act for altruistic reasons to ferret out societal ills. Dean urges WikiLeaks to adopt a stringent set of criteria for when disclosure is appropriate (one that goes much further than simply prohibiting disclosures that will lead to deaths), and to consider that the site's disclosures may become a tool for wrongdoing governments and individuals to exploit. Friday, December 8, 2010