In our world today, forming a foundation of strong ethical and moral values is a painful process of staying informed and active in the fight for a more just world.

To do this, many cling to the hope that a nationally televised news station will provide us with the necessary information to create logical ideologies.

Unfortunately, with the growing popularity of watered-down, highly emotional “news” shows, interest groups constantly manipulate our responses to the information we receive.

We were given an early warning of the control informational systems implement; a warning in the form of Schoolhouse Rock’s coined exclamation “Knowledge is Power!”

Even while we preach freedom and transparency, we are all subjugated to the powerful Google Government the Internet era has created.

In fact, as we are continually measured by demographic stereotypes and Internet searches, our government deems it less necessary to inform the general public out of misguided, paternalist instinct.

Consequently, we are left in the dark.

But, despite the powerful opposition we face in this strife, it isn’t yet necessary to either expatriate or delve farther into societal latency.

Salvation from our ignorance may come in the form of WikiLeaks, the non-profit information distribution organization responsible for the publishing hundreds of thousands of classified government documents.

In the past year, WikiLeaks has released classified information concerning the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, as well as a video of American troops killing and wounding civilians in an air raid.

Two weeks ago, in a scandal dubbed as “Cablegate,” 251,287 U.S. embassy cables were leaked on the website. According to WikiLeaks, “the cables show the extent of U.S. spying on its allies and the U.N.,” along with “turning a blind eye to corruption and human rights abuse in ‘client states.'”

The government has vilified WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange, and recently, Assange was arrested for charges in England and faces extradition to Sweden.

His extradition to the United States for espionage could be imminent.

Support of Assange and WikiLeaks could limit one’s access to high-profile government jobs, but is necessary to limiting the power of the individuals who hold our lives in their hands.

By reading the information posted by WikiLeaks, we can gain a realistic account of our national actions, and we might also equip ourselves with the data to enact change in this “1984” landscape.