Let's just put my political opinion about the "Senkaku boat collision" incident aside. (Read what exactly happened in the link above.) I am just stunned by the actual power of "info terrorism" in this era of YouTube and Twitter, and still wondering implication of it in the format of democracy as a whole.

If it were Before YouTube era, pre-2005, the pundit would never had a chance to leak the video. Now, with just a stroke of a keyboard and a mouse, the video is EVERYWHERE, so QUICKLY, thanks to Twitter. Although it was taken down from YouTube by the uploader, the videos are copied and are uploaded and downloaded everywhere. Someone even burned it ont several hundred DVD and left them at a crowded train station.

And the reaction of the people in Japan, both on the net and from the traditional media, is so strong. Most of the opinions I hear supports Japanese coast guard, praise the leaker, and trashes Democrat Party cabinet's handling of the whole incidet and their decision not to disclose the video to the public. Some rightly points out that the leak happened without democratic procedure and the weakness of Japanese government's information security management.

Of course, that is what they wanted to do - it is a case of info-terrorism.

And I have to admit that I am a bit amused by the reaction of the traditional media. They pick up these YouTube videos and broadcast the footage over and over again, without permission or payment - ehh, what about the copyrights?? ehh, isn't YouTube your archenemy?

What should I take this incident in the whole scheme of things of democracy? People should have the right information to make right decisions, and it used to be the role of professionally trained media to inform people. Now, we can get information from many other sources, and what is the ethical boundary of the "rights to know"?

But at the same time, I appreciate the "freedom" that Japanese people enjoy due to its non-oppressive government and its sophisticated info-tech infrastructure. The same thing can be said about "Wikileaks".

I have a very mixed feeling about this whole thing.

Michi