Philosophy
The Ethics of Whistleblowing and Leaking Classified Information
Quick fact
The most famous whistleblowers, such as Edward Snowden and Daniel Ellsberg, leaked classified documents that revealed massive government surveillance and the Pentagon Papers, yet are both celebrated and condemned—because the ethics of leaking depend on a delicate balance of harms, benefits, and motives.
Why this is interesting
Imagine you are a ship's officer who discovers the captain is secretly steering the ship toward an iceberg. Do your orders to obey override your duty to warn the passengers?