Saturday 8 January 2011

To The department of justice

The department of justice seeks private information about Twitter users who voice their support for WikiLeaks. We know this because the Icelandic MP Birgitta Jónsdóttir informed us about this via Twitter. And had it not been for Twitter's denial to comply, it would never have reached the public nor her. I find it deeply disturbing that you feel a need to gather intelligence in secrecy about political activists using their democratic right to free speech via the Internet. The Icelandic minister of Justice is now looking into the case.

Regarding WikiLeaks, I have been active both on Twitter, Facebook and blogs voicing my support. All citizens have a natural right to know everything their elected officials and their policy making employees are doing on their behalf. (res publica). Anyone who seeks to stand in the way of this right is an enemy of democracy, and a supporter of an authoritarian state.

It scares me that my belief in freedom of information, right to privacy and free speech is such a threat to your system that you feel the need of prosecution. And as disturbing these news are, it's even more disturbing knowing that most other online fora most likely would comply, unlike Twitter. It's what we don't know that's the really frightening scenario. I have a democratic right to openly support Wikileaks, and you have an obligation to serve the public trust.

And failing terribly.