“Wikileaks has already claimed that it has damaging documents against a major US bank, widely speculated to be Bank of America, and also against BP. And Wikileaks continues to acquire more data, including details about Swiss bank accounts in January.”
This got me thinking about whether this kind of insurgency approach to transparency is a social good. Take the issue of Swiss bank accounts, for example:
“Embarrassing material relating to the Swiss bank Julius Baer, the Kaupthing Bank in Iceland, Barclays, JP Morgan and the Toll Collect Consortium in Germany has already been published by Wikileaks. And Assange continues to say he would like to pressure companies to behave ethically.”
But, the only reason this activity is illegal is due to arbitrary (and antiquated) country laws (complete with all the nationalistic biases inherent in the political decision making process), and not because there is anything absolutely unethical about storing assets in a foreign country. It hardly sounds like a moral crusade!
In an interview with Forbes Magazine that is quoted in the article, Julian Assange (the Wikileaks founder) says that:
“Wikileaks means it’s easier to run a good business and harder to run a bad business, and all CEOs should be encouraged by this.”
But “good” and “bad” business by whose definition? Who made Julian Assange the arbiter of ethical business practices – especially since he seems so ethically challenged in his personal behavior (see Swedish court case)?
What is the solution for firms to this increased threat of transparency – better IT security or better behavior? Unfortunately, the article seems to focus on encouraging firms to install better IT security first and foremost. The article finishes rather weakly with the broad question:
“Could Wikileaks change reporting and disclosure as we know it?”
Maybe, but not necessarily for the better.
Take care
David
Instructor Teaching Site: http://www.sagepub.com/strategiccsr/
The library of CSR Newsletters are archived at: http://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/
Wikileaks: Could big business be next?
Unethical companies could be the next target of Wikileaks
Rajesh Chhabara
January 27, 2011
Ethical Corporation Magazine
