I'm sorry. Policies and procedures do not need to be shared online. For example, do we need to know how many air marshalls are being implemented on passenger aircraft? Do we need to know where they will sit, and what they will have on their person as weapons?
Heck, then why not share one's medical records and SS#? How about just posting one's credit card information right here? Let's widely disseminate it. Why even classify documents in the military? Let's all share and be friends.
For me, it all started when CNN met our "covert" operations on the beach during the Gulf War. It begins with each of us being responsible and zipping our mouths. Should our POWs flap their gums to their captors b/c anyone might be capable of finding things or hacking into them on the Internet? Should graduates of SEER school share their experiences with those who have yet to attend? How will that prepare them in real life? Should this be shared on the internet, too?
Where would you (and others) draw the line?
Each of the scenarios you mention are different from the others.
I'm not arguing that efforts should not be made to keep confidential information confidential -- on the contrary, each piece of information needs to be considered on its merits to determine the appropriate level of confidentiality, and the security appropriate to that level of confidentiality.
I do not agree with your implicit assertion that there are similar confidentiality/security requirements for aviation transponder security codes, air martial identities, medical records, SSNs, credit card numbers, and classified military documents.
I believe ALL information should be public unless there is a sufficient reason to make the effort to keep the information out of the public.
In the case of transponder emergency codes, I have difficulty thinking of a way to limit the public knowledge of the codes without basically banning general aviation, and only letting the professionals fly. I do not believe that this solution is commensurate with the risk posed by having public transponder codes.
If there is a reasonable way to ensure that 600,000 US (and who knows how many worldwide) GA pilots keep these codes confidential, please let me know. I just don't think something that a million or more people from every country in the world need to know fits the criteria of "confidential information." Lacking an implementable method of securing that information, we need to assume its knowledge by the bad guys, and formulate policies and procedures appropriately.
We may just have to disagree on that point.
"Heck, then why not share one's medical records and SS#?"
I was quite shocked to learn you can get pretty much ANYONE"s ssn just by paying a $20 or so service with a name and city/state. A friend mailed me mine to see if the service worked. Needless to say, I was stunned.