This morning, the founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange, was set to be released from jail on bail following the decision of High Court justice Duncan Ouseley. I am now a little bit relieved that Assange is temporarily free. To be frank, I was worried about for so many things. First, I worried about the safety of Assange and sympathize his families thinking of what they have been going through.

His courageous actions risked himself, the organization, his families, and other professional diplomats and operatives whose jobs and lives are now in danger. Am sure, I am not the only one anxious for all parties affected. However, how many of us are worried about the future prospect of Internet and media freedom following these unprecedented online leaks? Am worried and that is why I am writing this article with the risk of angering some people.

It looks like the world is divided into supporting and opposing wikiLeaks. There are, however, many people like me who are torn between supporting and opposing the actions of wikiLeaks. Supporting because I believe in freedom of speech regardless of whether I am totally for or against its contents; opposing because I found this uncensored (note that I am not totally against posting leaks) release of diplomatic cables risky, especially for those individuals whose lives are at stake if we ignore the costs against national security and interest of some ‘unsuspecting’ countries.

Let me be honest, maybe wrong, am skeptical about the ultimate benefits of this kind of endeavors. It looks like to me against human nature. Almost all of us have said, done, or wrote things that we all aren’t proud of and uncomfortable, especially if they are exposed online.  There is time tested wisdom: Don’t do things you don’t want others to do onto you. Am not saying that we shouldn’t be held accountable if what we have done, said, and wrote are unlawful and illegal. No doubt, most of the diplomats were doing things that are lawful, at least, within the legal framework of their country and department. They tried to communicate their feelings and intentions with some liberty thinking that the system protects their ‘outpouring’- think about those funny ones.

Likewise, all of us done, wrote, and said things we thought back then right or we were helpless or what have you. If you are like me, I am okay to own all of my past actions, wordings (both good and bad), and if am at gun point, I will discuss those bad ones in public but otherwise, I don’t feel comfortable to see them posted on the Internet and people discuss about them without me having no chance to explain.  Think about those ‘secretive’ things you didn’t have hand in their making or no control at all, published online. Well, you may say, get over it. You and I may not have something that cost our job or life if they are published online but the job descriptions of some people does. And how about we all understand one another and live harmoniously than playing the game I got you, I got you… and indefinitely…Mark Twain said, "Every man is a Moon, with a dark side he never shows to anyone". Every government and individual has ‘private’ secretes and what is the use of exposing one another? Who is without secret and the winner of this game, and how long can we tolerate and endure it running?

I am sure that these leaks or future ones cannot affect how diplomacy works except that now diplomats know how to handle their secretes. Other than that the way diplomats lobby or pressure to defend or promote their countries interest continues. These being said, I am not here judging Assange or his organization. That is their business and they are accountable of what they are doing. I remain respectful of their decision as I want people to respect my decisions regardless of their consequences against me. For that matter, if you are like me and never had a chance to appreciate how diplomacy works, they gave us the glimpse of how things are running within the diplomatic circle. Other than that, I pray that Assange uses this crisis as an opportunity to revisit the scope of his organization’s mission, to determine which ones to release which one not; just a suggestion (even if it is unlikely that someone from wikiLeak has the time or interest to read the writings of a …..).

Reading the above three paragraphs, you may be thinking that I am against freedom of speech, media, and so on. Don’t get me wrong. I believe in making governments accountable and I tried my best beyond mere lip service. I risked myself and burdened my families and friends when I became student leader of the most politically sensitive student union in my country, and central committee and vice-chairman of research department of an opposition party, both of which could have led to murder, imprisonment, or at least black mailing J lol

Please forget my personal principles and sympathy for privacy and decency (or call it hypocrisy or whatever it fits in your opinion) I expressed in the above couple of paragraphs. My main concern to write this article is the impact of these leaks against the progress of Internet and media freedom. If you have been following closely, some countries curtailed the progress of Internet access to their people or at least censored the kind of information their citizen get.  Now, after wikiLeaks bold but reckless release of diplomatic cables, am not sure how countries like the US, which have been pro Internet and media freedom would react. The future prospect of Internet and media freedom is also at risk, on top of jobs and lives of many!

By the way, when I just read the release of Assange, I thanked God and with some sense of relief I came out to write this article without much thinking or processing my thoughts. Though I know there is a long way to go, am happy for now. When I just read his release, I felt that there is still hope that his actions may not lead into outrageous and far reaching revenges from the civilized and democratic world against Internet access and media freedom.

Now, he is at least free to see his families and walk around but what about the future prospect of Internet and media freedom in this information age? Is Internet make out of this and continue to thrive? Or are we just entered into a perilous future prospect for this great technology-Internet? Can it survives and continues to benefit this and generations to come? My prayer continue and hope that things would eventually calm down and nothing bad won’t happen against Assange, the progress of Internet, and media freedom.