WIkiLeaks: U.S. Government on Edge?

Over the past week, the website WikiLeaks has released a number of cables which contained thousands of confidential pieces of information and conversations held between a number of prominent political figures across the globe. With the release of this information came headlines from every major news channel across the country. But, what is the actual affect of these cables on the U.S. government itself?

According to S.C. Magazine, these cables have had a major effect on the way that the United States handles security. By looking at the way security has changed after 9-11, many people are worried that the release of these cables will make life in America just that much more difficult. Will security in general be boosted up to the point that traveling will be almost impossible, or will it simply be a boost of internal security within the government itself. According to S.C. Magazine's Dan Kaplan, the upgraded security appears to be strictly related to the way the government networks are monitored and protected. Nobody should have to worry about being affected personally by these attacks, although many people still remain skeptical. After such a huge leak, people are worried about the possibility that the government will resort to even greater measures to protect their secrets. It is possible that the government might retaliate by taking away some of the publics privacy to avoid situations like this in the future. He also made it clear that these security measures might also be for the best, when it comes to electronic information sharing. The increase in security will make it easier for the government to protect from being attacked in a similar way be external entities.

According to CNN, prominent political figures such as Hilary Clinton are stating that leaks such as these can endager people's lives. On the other hand, most people beleive that this will be simply an embarrasing release for the government in the long-run. Some of the pieces of information which have been leaked include:

1) King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, urging the United States to attack Iran to halt it's nuclear weapons program.

2) China's growing displeasure with North Korea.

and many more.

Sources:

Dan Kaplan\"WikiLeaks prompts U.S. government to assess security"\S.C. Magazine

Paul Armstrong\"Are WikiLeaks revelations really damaging for U.S.?"\CNN World