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Former CIA/NSA Head: NSA Is "Infinitely" Weaker As a Result of Snowden's Leaks
An anonymous reader writes "The Huffington Post reports, 'Michael Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency, said Sunday that he used to describe leaker Edward Snowden as a "defector," ... "I think there's an English word that describes selling American secrets to another government, and I do think it's treason," Hayden said ... Some members of Congress have also ... accused him of an act of treason. Hayden said his view of Snowden has grown harsher in recent weeks after reports that Snowden is seeking asylum in Germany and Brazil in exchange for assisting their investigations into NSA programs. Hayden said the NSA is "infinitely" weaker as a result of Snowden's leaks. "This is the most serious hemorrhaging of American secrets in the history of American espionage," he said. "What Snowden is revealing ... is the plumbing," he added later. "He's revealing how we acquire this information. It will take years, if not decades, for us to return to the position that we had prior to his disclosures."' — More in the Face the Nation video and transcript, including discussion of the recent legal decisions, and segments with whistleblower Thomas Drake, Snowden legal adviser Jesselyn Radack, and Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman who recently interviewed Snowden."
GOOD!
Unfortunately so is most of the government and the courts.
Treason is working against one's country. So the NSA has been the treasonous one.
Still waiting for the first shred of proof that the NSA's dragnet methods do any good whatsoever. Until then: nothing of value was lost.
That's funny, I consider "treating every citizen of your country as an enemy and a criminal" as treason, Mr. Hayden.
"This is the most serious haemorrhaging of American secrets in the history of American espionage," he said. "What Snowden is revealing ... is the plumbing,"
Worse than when Soviet intelligence penetrated the Manhattan project at every level that mattered thus enabling Stalin to take a multi year shortcut to building his own bomb? I mean let's not over dramatise this, the ability to steal airplane sales from Airbus and hand them to Boeing, to steal IP from foreign companies and donate them to US competitors, blackmail foreign politicians, etc..., may be important but an A-bomb can vaporise a city along with millions of it's inhabitants.
I'm not sure that this isn't true.
The question is whether there's anything wrong with that.
Were the NSA meant to be doing the things that they're doing? To some degree, yes. But I'm also pretty sure they've overstepped what they're allowed to do.
The "treason" comments are pretty far off. Someone who's committing an act of treason is doing it to benefit themselves or another country. Seeing as he had to flee his life in the US and is between countries, risking imprisonment if he ever comes back, aside from the fame he's accrued, I'm not sure how this is to his benefit.
If they had not been abusing their power to conduct illegal surveillance then Snowden may not have resorted to this. Perhaps then their techniques would have remained secret and been available for legitimate purposes. Perhaps they should be looking in the mirror when placing the blame.
I don't believe a word of the NSA traitors (that's what they are - traitors to the Constitution, thus traitors to the Republic).
I think they are as strong as ever and their powers are growing, that's because while before Snowden they just pretended that they were an actual legal institution, now the courts will proclaim them to be legal! The system is corrupt completely and irreversibly, it will have to be replaced to be made workable again.
The problem is not NSA, the problem is the government that no longer follows the rule of law (the Constitution, the process) the government doesn't have a process anymore, it's based on mobocracy keeping it in power, it's based on propaganda, it's based on cult of personalities, it's based on class warfare talk and thus propaganda and it's based on ability to extort money from the RULED. The problem is that the government is absolutely illegitimate, it is now a system or rulers, the mob and the rest of those who are ruled.
Was it worth fighting against a Constitutional monarchy to end up with an authoritarian mobocracy/socialism/fascism/cronyism/Mafia?
You can't handle the truth.
We were caught abusing the rights of the American people and the people's of many other nations.
Obama said recently in an interview that spying in the US was limited by laws in the US. They he added that for the rest of the world, the NSA is not limited by any laws. So I guess that means that the US doesn't care about breaking laws in other countries.
That's a very sour thought, when you chew on the implications of that statement.
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
He's revealing how we unconstitutionally acquire this information.
Fixed that for him.
There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
He made a *huge* sacrifice for *our* benefit, and I hope he eventually gets recognized for it.
They're inalienable rights. If you believe in them, everyone has them. They may not be protected by the constitution for foreigners or whatever but that doesn't mean they don't have them.
If you don't believe in them, then you don't believe in them for anybody.
I believe this is a relevant quote from Jayne Cobb/Firefly
"You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat you with until you understand who's in ruttin' command here."
I don't know everything.
We were caught abusing the rights of the American people and the people's of many other nations.
Obama said recently in an interview that spying in the US was limited by laws in the US. They he added that for the rest of the world, the NSA is not limited by any laws. So I guess that means that the US doesn't care about breaking laws in other countries.
That's a very sour thought, when you chew on the implications of that statement.
What that means to me is that the President is saying that is okay for other countries to ignore USA laws. Like copyright and DMCA.
Be seeing you...
I'm an American, and I consider him to be a hero.
But then, I use the word 'our' to be inclusive of humankind, not some subsection thereof.
Nothing is so black and white. He may have revealed some things that will help Americans understand what policy changes need to be made, but he's also revealing information about operations the NSA is supposed to be doing, and now there's talk of him helping foreign governments in exchange for asylum. I'd say that makes him a naive idealist, at best.
-mrxak
Onions Will Kill You
I cannot and do not care about the citizens of other countries.
That's in one sentence the problem the rest of the world has with the US. By and large you only think of your own selfish needs and screw anyone else. A large majority of the US population doesn't even feel the need to explore what's outside their own little bubble and will live and die without ever crossing a border unless ordered by a general. Believe it or not but the rest of the world thinks that is a scary situation.
So far, there's no evidence that the NSA was doing anything of value. Sure, in theory they have a mission which might possibly be valuable were it focused the right way, maybe. Maybe. But half their mission - making info security better for Americans - is now permanently destroyed. No one in crypto circles will ever trust the NSA again: they burned that bridge and lost their ability to give back to the public sector.
So all that's left to the NSA is SIGINT, and that's have proven worthless for asymmetric threats. Yes, it would be good to have SIGINT the next time a major nation goes to war, but at this point I'd rather it wasn't the NSA doing that. Let the NSA die, and the legitimate SIGINT role can pass on to military intelligence or some other group with no motivation to spy on US citizens, or steal secrets from foreign companies to share with US companies.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
You are a fool. The traitors are the ones calling him a traitor. How we ever supposed to stop the NSA if no one tells on them? Make no mistake the NSA is a huge threat to Liberty in this country.
Good-bye
I.e., what every NSA official except Snowden has either committed or abetted, because allegiance to the United States means allegiance to its Constitution and its people, not allegiance to the bureaucracy, the President, or Congress.
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz