Maybe We Should Start Burning Books, Too

Tableau Software:

Wednesday afternoon, Tableau Software removed data visualizations published by WikiLeaks to Tableau Public. We understand this is a sensitive issue and want to assure the public and our users that this was not an easy decision, nor one that we took lightly. […]

Our decision to remove the data from our servers came in response to a public request by Senator Joe Lieberman, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, when he called for organizations hosting WikiLeaks to terminate their relationship with the website.

WikiLeaks has never been found guilty of violating a single U.S. law. As Glenn Greenwald writes, Lieberman, using his position as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, is pressuring hosts to drop WikiLeaks content on the premise that they’re aiding terrorists. It’s abusive coercion. I’d love to hear from a U.S.-based hosting provider that has told him to go stuff it.

★ Thursday, 2 December 2010