Business Day (Johannesburg)
6 January 2009
The Competition Commission has laid criminal charges against the unknown hackers who lifted the lid on highly confidential information about the South African banking system that the four big banks wanted to keep under wraps.
[ See Article ]
Where do I go to find information that is truthful, reliable, forthright and reliable. There are too many state secrets, there are too many governments, organizations, municipalities, who are making decisions for my benefit, without consulting me, as to whether I would like those benefits. They say you must now comply with this law or this rule, because it is for your benefit. These laws and rules cost me time, money, and slow down the business of the country. They are made to serve the self interest of those who are in power or control. There are 'copyright' laws to protect the profitable rights of those who have invested in new products, to help them recoup their investment costs, so that they will develop other beneficial products. Why then do we need to keep anything secret, including government business. If you want an army, or an air force, or a navy, say so, give the honest reasons. (We need to protect ourselves against renegade leaders such as Mugabe, detail the costs, tell us how much you have been bribed to do this). We even have laws in this country which allow whistle blowers to be prosecuted for whistle blowing. What is the alternative - Wikileaks. Do they serve a purpose - yes. Are they necessary - most definitely yes. It would be great if I could find on Wikileaks the details of the arms 'scandal', so that I could make an informed judgement on the issue, instead of someone saying that it was all above board, believe me, trust me,, but dont ask me for the information I used to arrive at this conclusion, that is a secret.