When whistle-blowing Wikileaks website founder Julian Assange dumped classified American government documents onto the Internet late last year it signalled an era of ‘No More Secrets’.
The worldwide web swiftly proved more powerful than any state authority. Trying to hide unknown inconvenient truths from the public no longer seemed possible. A suitably placed disgruntled government employee could unleash state secrets to the world via just a simple click of the mouse.
Wikileaks is likely not the first option that ordinary citizens would choose for sharing information. More accessible and influential social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter were the first stops for Arab lobbyists who mobilised masses online to topple their governments earlier this year. Their power lies in the ease and anonymity afforded to communicate and bypass oppressive authorities.
One might wonder then whether passing the Protection of Information Bill into law, with its prohibitive clauses, is appropriate at a time when the world seems to be opening up. The reality though is that South African is not the only state attempting to silence dissidents who find empathy via social media platforms.
Chris Moerdyk, independent marketing and media analyst, says that there is a global trend indicating that governments want to crack down on social media in a bid to hide their secrets and flaws. “Governments are terrified of social media. It means that they have to be more transparent. The days of governments sweeping everything under the carpet are gone,” says Moerdyk.
Jittery governments have been targeting the wrong sources of information and simply shooting the messenger, adds Moerdyk. “All these secrets are not uncovered by investigative journalists but from within Cabinets and by government officials who don’t like the way governance has gone. They contact the press with information. Or they can now become part of the electronic media directly,” he says.
This year’s boldest case study of governments trying to shut down social media was in the Arab world. Moerdyk says it was evident particularly in the case of Egypt that governments are unable to block word from getting out via online media. Egypt’s officials resorted to cutting internet connectivity completely to block communication. This was not a sustainable blackout and the crumbling Hosni Mubarak regime had to turn the Internet switch back on.
“Governments also need the internet. Egypt’s entire tourism industry went into decline because it’s all internet dependent,” explains Moerdyk. “This is a war that governments have no chance to win. The world is dependent on the internet and social media. Governments are being put in a corner and the only option is to open up. They need to be transparent and clean. There are no state secrets anymore.”
Leading local politicians on the other hand feel the need to classify data for their own security — or that of the nation, as they argue. Sure, some sensitive information should not be handed to unfavourable elements on a silver plate.
Moerdyk says that the Protection of Information Bill and the ANC’s proposed Media Appeals Tribunal are a “complete waste of time”. “It’s like people sitting around arguing about how many oxen should pull the wagon when the rest of us are sitting in the age of the motor car,” he says.
“It’s no good going for the media. It’s not going to help. Government ministers right at the top need to take responsibility instead of protecting each other and then shooting the messenger.”