Privacy For Me…

Excellent points from Michael Cohen about the Wikileaks posting of private data from Sony Pictures:

What a victory for transparency that these critically important stories are now in the public domain!

That’s what Wikileaks and its click-obsessed enablers in the media would like you to believe. But in reality, data dumps like these represent a threat to our already shrinking zone of privacy.

Wikileaks justifies its actions by arguing, on its website, that “the Sony Archives offer a rare insight into the inner workings of a large, secretive multinational corporation.” Sony has “ties to the White House,” the group claims, and “connections to the US military-industrial complex.” The company even lobbies on issues like “Internet policy, piracy, trade agreements, and copyright.”

This flimsy rationale, which could apply to any company in America whose businesses intersect with public policy, could potentially put millions of Americans at risk.

If Wikileaks were merely revealing hidden truths about a company’s vast influence on politics, perhaps the group would be on solid ground. Some media outlets, including the Globe, have noted ways the leaked e-mails shed light on our relationship with history and race. The problem is that surrounding these needles of information is a giant haystack of Sony employees, whose private information is now being splashed all over the Internet.

Using these links to launch sexist insults at people compounds the problem. (And to state what should be obvious, sexist attacks on wealthy women are nonetheless sexist.)