To give you a concrete example of why it is necessary to prematurely expose unpopular ideas, in Australia there was a proposal within some circles to log all in

To give you a concrete example of why it is necessary to prematurely expose unpopular ideas, in Australia there was a proposal within some circles to log all internet traffic. What do you mean "log all internet traffic"? Do you mean like HTTP URLs or IP addresses or what? Is it only against bad people or based on keywords or what? Well nobody really knew. What was known is that bureaucrats had been holding meetings with ISPs to discuss something about data retention. In this case, what you're dealing with isn't just an idea anymore: it's a proposed policy. Academic freedom does not mean making policy in secret.