Frantic,I am agnostic on this point. On the one hand responsible...

Frantic,
I am agnostic on this point. On the one hand responsible government can do great things when their conversations are protected. On the other hand irresponsible governments should be held accountable . But who decides who is responsible or irresponsible? Me you? What about Assange? What makes any of us able to judge the best thing to do.
It is such a minefield, and it is not just restricted to wikileaks - facebook can very easily lead into defamation, and arguably cyberbullying can verge on the criminal esp where suicides are involved.
Who should be the gate keeper on these sites- what is acceptable to one person is not acceptable to another.
The rise of the protected minority and its cause- the PC movement and Nanny state mentality, overlays on all of this where it is far more likely to become involved in litigation if your actions are directed toward a minority than if not. Governments are very sensitive to this. Should we trample all over the rights of the majority just to protect the rights of a minority?

I have seen it first hand whith family members who read something on the internet and believe it to be true without question. This opens up all sorts of issues that never existed before. But is there any way out? I am not sure.