Last week , the Library of Congress confirmed it ’s blocking WikiLeaks . Censorship rule away , the ban has one clear effect : the Congressional Research Service , responsible for of the essence reports to lawmakers , is part of the Library . Now their spark plug is pulled too .
The government activity veto the public from using governing equipment to disseminate privy political science information is perhaps perceivable . Politicians see the escape illegal and dangerous , and the Library of Congress says the blockage is justified ,
Because applicable law obligates federal agencies to protect classified information . Unauthorized disclosure of classified document do not alter the written document ’ classified position or automatically result in declassification of the document . ”
They ’re claiming their hands are tie , in other word . This does n’t jibe with the fact , however — the Office of Management and Budget , responsible for for a political science - wide-eyed memo regarding WikiLeaks damage control , only asked agencies to admonish their employeesabout the risks surround access to the leaks — not to lug access outright . In other words , the LoC ’s explanation does n’t quite tote up up — it come along they did more than they had to do by law .
So who is this pain ? Not most of the public , who can get at WikiLeaks ( when its server are up ) from another public library , their dwelling house reckoner , or their phone . But the Library of Congress is way , path more than a library — it domiciliate the Congressional Research Service , whose ego - described missionary work includes “ reports on major policy issues , tailor confidential memoranda , briefings and consultations , ” and “ expert congressional testimony . ” You would think that it would behoove such an agency to have access to as much information as potential — all of it , really — regarding the position of the United States in the world . Even when that entropy is pretty embarrassing .
Is this a big deal ? TheFederation of American Scientists quotescurrent and former CRS employee who surely mean so :
“ I do n’t know that you’re able to make a credible argument that CRS reports are the gold standard of analytic reporting , as is often take , when its analysts are denied access to information that historians and public insurance policy types call a hoarded wealth treasure trove of data point . ”
“ It would intelligibly diminish the weight unit of some of the analysis CRS does on policy issues , particularly on alien involvement and military scheme where it is widely known that key entropy that would help inform thoughtful and comprehensive analysis was released on Wikileaks . ”
It seems as if the Library is kidding itself if it thinks a blanket pulley-block will do more good than harm . The boxwood is open — the monsters are out . Anyone with an net connection and some longanimity can download leaked cables at will . If the big government incubus is that these leaked revelation will somehow harm the safety of the US or its standing in the world , then why traverse this same information to those whose job it is to pad those very things ? [ FAS ]
Governmentlibrary of congressWikiLeaks
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