It is difficult to quantify the damage caused by those who leak classified government information to the public. Once this information is exposed on the Internet, anyone can access it, almost anywhere in the world. A certain level of secrecy is necessary for government to operate on multiple levels. Secrecy is particularly vital in the areas of national security and international intelligence. Government whistleblowers endanger national security by releasing classified documents to the public because this information can be used by enemies of the state against U.S. interests. Additionally, leakers often act out of malice or self-interest and act illegally by exposing information. Although it is difficult to measure the extent of damage caused by classified leaks, a few specific examples are known. Such cases confirm that enemies can use leaked information against U.S. interests. In a 2012 article in The New Statesman, "Julian Assange and Europe's Last Dictator," they reported that an associate of Julian Assange, Israel Shamir, had handed over unredacted State Department cables to Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko before the 2010 elections. These cables contained information about the United States' relations with Lukashenko's opposition. They included names as well as financial transactions between the United States and opposition leaders. After the elections, those exposed by the cables found themselves facing reprisals; “Andrei Sannikov, defeated opposition presidential candidate” was imprisoned, his press secretary was found dead, others were placed under house arrest. (Komireddi) In another case, State Department cable leaks by Bradley Manning put lives at risk. In the documentary We Steal Secrets, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, German computer scientist...... middle of paper ......File. Internet. 22 March 2014. Komireddi, Kapil “Julian Assange and Europe's last dictator” The New Statesman 1 March 2012. Web. March 22, 2014. Savage, Charlie. "Snowden says he raised concerns before leaks. The New York Times 2014: 3. Academic OneFile. Web. March 22, 2014. Schoenfeld, Gabriel. Necessary Secrets: National Security, Media, and the Rule of Law. New York: WW Norton &, 2010. 266-268 Print. United States Code 2012. Title 18 – Crimes and Criminal Procedure. Washington, DC: US ​​Government Printing Office, March 22, 2014. We Steal Secrets. Wikileaks. , Julian, Gibney, Alex. public to know » Smithsonian 2011. : 90. OneFile academic web.. 2014.