Infamous Wikileaks founder Julian Assange struck yet another blow to federal intelligence on Saturday with the website’s latest major release of classified documents. This time, instead of exposing secrets about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 250,000 documents gave insight into the United States’ diplomatic relations with other countries, revealing details about backroom deals and the U.S.’s assessments of foreign leaders and security threats.

Although Assange’s earlier releases could be seen as almost noble in their efforts to bring the truth to the American public, this latest deluge of information comes across as unnecessary and vindictive. While reports about the goings on in Iraq and Afghanistan contained information that the public had a right to know, the new releases feature out-of-context details about the U.S.’s complex relationships with various countries that mean little to the general public without serious interpretation.

Therein lies the great problem with Wikileaks. Instead of examining documents closely and providing context to news consumers, Assange and company simply disseminate a huge amount of information into the public sphere for people to browse without any of the context necessary to understand how these documents fit into the larger scheme of things. While The New York Times took the time to analyze the information, Wikileaks made no such effort and instead released classified and potentially dangerous documents with no stipulations and no regard for the consequences.

This sort of reckless release of classified information can only be bad for the U.S. in the long run. Although freedom of information is undoubtedly an essential factor in a functioning democracy, some information does not need to be released, as the risk it poses does not justify the potential benefits. The truth about what is happening in Afghanistan is one thing that is necessary for the public to make informed decisions about the war. What our leaders say behind closed doors is entirely another, and does not need to be public knowledge.

Assange is one of the most powerful men in the world right now. He has the resources and the influence to bring the government’s deepest secrets to life simply by publishing these documents. The question is whether he will use that power for the greater good or simply to stir the pot and discredit the U.S. government. Although Assange may not care about the consequences of Wikileaks’ actions, the rest of the world can’t afford to take them lightly.