• Reuters, Wednesday, February 7, 2007 11:15 AM

Fittingly, a new wiki site devoted to leaking controversial, underhanded government doings, has been exposed before its launch. The site, called WikiLeaks.org, invites government insiders from around the world to report corruption and scandal, so the world's people will be empowered with knowledge of what elected (and non-elected) officials are up to. Like Wikipedia, the whistle-blower wiki depends entirely on voluntary contributions, and will be categorized by country.

To help hedge against bogus information, the site's editors are requesting that officials publish state documents. Postings will be anonymous, contributors as well, and anyone will be able to judge the veracity of leaks.

Like any wiki, the site invites corruption by its very nature. False information could be damaging. How can the editors be sure government documents aren't forged? What's to stop terrorists from posting bogus material to incite panic? Indeed, many of the site's founders are refugees from countries like China, Russia and Tibet. The site officially goes live in a few months; it already has 1.2 million documents.

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