Power that depends on secretly watching people may carry risks of its own. A case from Peru may bring the question into focus.
The Mechanics of Covert Control
CNN, citing the official Andina news agency, reported that disgraced former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori pleaded guilty to charges of illegal wiretapping and embezzling government money. Wikipedia's current-events log for September 28, 2009, recorded that Fujimori pleaded guilty to bribery and the illegal phone-tapping of businessmen, journalists, and opposition politicians.
Fujimori was president from 1990 to 2000. Government prosecutor Jose Antonio Pelaez Bardales asked the court for an eight-year prison sentence, with sentencing scheduled for a Wednesday.
Information as a Liability
The entries do not explain motives, and none should be assumed here. In general terms, though, watching critics and opponents may say something about how a leader sees threats. Secret monitoring may also leave records behind, which could later come to light.
For people who lead organizations, one possible lesson concerns the tools chosen to keep authority. A system that seems to need constant hidden monitoring of critics might be more fragile than it looks.
Perhaps lasting authority rests more on trust than on what can be overheard.
Sources
- Peru's Fujimori pleads guilty in bribery, wiretap trial - CNN, 2009-09-28
- Portal:Current events/2009 September 28 (revision 316950380) - Wikipedia, 2009-09-29
