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Snowden's Big Truth: We Are All Less Free
chicksdaddy writes "In the days since stories based on classified information leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden hit the headlines, a string of reports and editorials claim that he had his facts wrong, accuse him of treason – or both. Others have accused journalists like Glen Greenwald of The Guardian of rushing to print before they had all the facts. All of these criticisms could be valid. Technology firms may not have given intelligence agencies unfettered and unchecked access to their users' data. Edward Snowden may be, as the New York Times's David Brooks suggests, one of those 20-something-men leading a 'life unshaped by the mediating institutions of civil society.' All those critiques may be true without undermining the larger truth of Snowden's revelation: in an age of global, networked communications and interactions, we are all a lot less free than we thought we were. I say this because nobody has seriously challenged the basic truth of Snowden's leak: that many of the world's leading telecommunications and technology firms are regularly divulging information about their users' activities and communications to law enforcement and intelligence agencies based on warrantless requests and court reviews that are hidden from public scrutiny. It hasn't always been so."
Bruce Schneier has published an opinion piece saying that while Snowden did break the law, we need to investigate the government before any prosecution occurs. (Schneier's piece is one in a series on the subject.) Snowden himself said in an interview today that the U.S. government has been pursuing hacking operations against China for years.
Yes. The reason why he's angered the US government so badly, is because he's divulged sensitive information that has damaged American interests. By telling the Chinese and the world that the US spies on them and leaking important details, he has empowered our enemies. Furthermore, he fled to China to escape US justice, and then did a weak post-hoc justification of fleeing to an enemy country by saying "well, they believe in free speech"(China! Free speech!).
I stand by what I said. He's knowingly committed suicide by doing this. He's shit on the country he was supposed to be serving, and has betrayed their interests. That's low.
"A few things scare me about this topic so far "
Let me sum up what scares you more simply: "Not everyone agrees with me on an issue that is a lot more nuanced than I portrayed it."
What has the government actually done wrong?
Do you REALLY think the US intelligence community -- who employ the smartest people in a nation of 320 million people -- be stupid enough to invest billions of dollars setting up a surveillance operation if it could be trivially be proven to be illegal?
Occam's Razor applies here. The simplest explanation applies here -- what the government has done is perfectly legal, and the popular opinion that the US government has some something open-and-shut illegal is very likely mistaken.
Its really all about America's one true God capitalism. Any other system is hunted down and destroyed or made to look like boogeymen thanks to our all too willing media (content cartels). Congress didn't spend all that money on spying without a return. I bet at least one of these 'contractors' is porting a lot of data to high freg trading computers. Heck we already know that the super rich get consumer data 15 min's before us little folks. Just look how rich congress people get while in office and just after. All the data mining is for one thing and it ain't security ITS MONEY! Want to know why no one does anything about pay TV rates? Easy almost everyone that can do anything about it have stock in the pay TV co's! To cut this rant short as long as Americans worship money over all else nothing will ever change.
The spelling and grammar police can kiss my ass
only good thing this BS has done: Make mainstream media aware of how much access (unaccountable) contractors like Booz/Allen have to gov't data...
Snowden's inadvertent message we should ALL heed: Dorks like me have access to shit we have no business accessing
**everything else** about this is ridiculous.
Snowden himself is an idiot. He has used internet-troll level logic and a dork's understanding of social movements to completely screw up his life for no gain whatsoever.
If he wanted to 'start a conversation' he should have leaked this anonymously. The fact that he revealed himself, espcially given the content of his revealations (gov't spying program)...its' just the height of stupidity.
He broke the law, I hope he goes to Federal Prison.
Let Bradley Manning out and throw this guy in instead...done.
Thank you Dave Raggett