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Snowden Queries Putin On Live TV Regarding Russian Internet Surveillance

Posted by timothy on from the keep-to-the-script-now dept.

Rambo Tribble (1273454) writes "Edward Snowden appeared on a Russian television call-in show to ask Russian President Vladimir Putin about policies of mass surveillance. The exchange has a canned quality which will likely lead to questions regarding the integrity of Snowden's actions, in the query of his host in asylum."

19 of 396 comments (clear)

  1. Useful Idiot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    These propaganda sessions for Putin are pre-staged so Snowden has allowed himself to be used as a "propaganda tool". Considering how freedoms are curtailed in Russia, it seriously deminishes Snowden's reputation.

    1. Re:Useful Idiot by Hadlock · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's interesting what one will do when your political asylum is up for renewal.

      --
      moox. for a new generation.
    2. Re:Useful Idiot by CanHasDlY · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Doesn't this call into question everything Snowden has said?

      Nice try. People who make any of this about Snowden are trying to hide the fact that the government is violating the constitution and people's fundamental liberties.

      --
      An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
    3. Re:Useful Idiot by Entropius · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yep -- if the US wanted to not give Putin a propaganda tool, they could have welcomed him back home with a guarantee of safety.

      We made our choice, and he took refuge in the only place he could.

    4. Re:Useful Idiot by nomanisanisland · · Score: 5, Insightful

      He probably could have tried legal measures to implement reform if it was actually more important to him than being famous

      Really? What legal measures could he have tried while remaining in the US? He would have been arrested faster than SSD read times, and never heard from again for "national security" reasons. The government's first response was to label him a traitor - they don't let you have much freedom as a traitor, in case you didn't know. I doubt any legal measures he could have tried before being arrested as a traitor would even have been reported on by the press, again for national security reasons.

      Whether you think his revelations were right or wrong, I think you'd have to agree he couldn't have truly revealed anything successfully by staying in the US.

    5. Re:Useful Idiot by LordLimecat · · Score: 5, Insightful

      He chose to flee to the two countries with the BIGGEST free speech / surveillance issues in the world-- China and Russia-- after publicly blowing the whistle on much lesser instances in the US.

      I mean we're throwing a fit about the NSA's capturing of "metadata". China just snorts up every bit of cell and internet data that goes in or out of any ISP or carrier, and they barely attempt to hide it. Im sure Russia is pretty close.

      So yes, he had a choice, and he made it about 8 months ago, and it was a remarkably bad one.

    6. Re:Useful Idiot by Kremmy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm gonna go out of my way and say that every single congress critter was in on it, right up until they realized they were being watched as well.

    7. Re:Useful Idiot by N1AK · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I mean we're throwing a fit about the NSA's capturing of "metadata". China just snorts up every bit of cell and internet data that goes in or out of any ISP or carrier, and they barely attempt to hide it. Im sure Russia is pretty close.

      What China does in surveillance of their own citizens isn't acceptable in my opinion but how is "they're even worse" a valid defence for the US which has constantly acted like it stands apart on these matters. Secondly, and something I think Americans really don't appreciate, as someone from outside both China and the US I know China would probably try and intercept my calls etc, but at least they don't pretend to be my friend while they are at it which America has been.

      I'm yet to hear a good criticism of how Snowden behaved. Arguments like "he should have stayed within the system" are laughable when one considers what he already tried and the fates of others who tried, the but, but, but someone else is worse argument is relative and just shoddy misdirection. I'm incredibly grateful that he had the balls to share what he knew with the world.

    8. Re:Useful Idiot by Kremmy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Do you not remember the grounding of a presidential figure's aircraft on the basis of the possibility that Snowden was on it? To say this man had a choice is to completely ignore the situation. 100 percent.

    9. Re:Useful Idiot by LordLimecat · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So the US is enough of a "Big Bad" that its worth Snowden risking his life.... so he flees to an even Bigger Bad, and cooperates with their propaganda machine.

      No choice my foot.

    10. Re:Useful Idiot by bossk538 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That's presuming that either Snowden intended to help Putin all along, or that he realized that his safety is not guaranteed, no matter what the US says. Either way, the way the US handled his flight was nothing short of incompetent and disgraceful.

    11. Re:Useful Idiot by amorsen · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So you would rather that he should have stayed to be broken like Manning?

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      Finally! A year of moderation! Ready for 2019?
    12. Re:Useful Idiot by Charliemopps · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You know, when I first saw this I though "Oh God..." but after I had a few minutes to think about it, I came to the conclusion: I, nor anyone else here on slashdot, will ever do anything in our lifetimes as significant as what Edward Snowden did last year. And now he's in a very precarious situation. I suspect he could be used as a bargaining chip by Russia. So whatever he has to say to stay alive in the near future is ok with me. I'll not fault the guy. He already did his good deed for this lifetime.

    13. Re:Useful Idiot by Nethemas+the+Great · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Espionage is never legitimate unless you consider it acceptable for others to do it to you in the manner in which you do it to them. The hypocrisy of the NSA, CIA, GCHQ, BND, Mossad, FSB, etc. is grossly palpable. Everyone seems to do it, yet it's "shame on you" if anyone does it them. Pulling down the curtains was an important demonstration of collective, well deserved shame.

      This crap belongs in movies and video games, not the real world. The citizenry of the world's nations should not be the game pieces used in the amusement and distraction of political and military rulers.

      --
      Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
  2. Old proverb by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It loses a bit in the translation but essentially it says "When you're living with wolves, you better learn fast how to howl, lest they might think you're a sheep".

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  3. Voluntary? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I wouldn't put it past the Russians to stage such an appearance by threatening Snowden. In fact, that's the most likely scenario; Putin could hand him over to the US at any time.

    1. Re:Voluntary? by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 5, Insightful

      He didn't choose Moscow. He chose Latin America and got stuck in Russia when the USA revoked his passport. It's the US governments fault he's now in Russia and yet they try and paint him as a traitor who ran to the Russians - yet more US hypocrisy and propaganda.

  4. In Mother Russa... by bobbied · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Even the questions you can ask are provided by the state..

    OF COURSE it was scripted and likely highly edited. This is 100% propaganda aimed squarely at the west by Putin. Snowden is just being used to attract attention and shape the message. He's just a pawn in a much larger game.

    Reading between the lines though, I wonder what Putin is up to. Why bother with this?

    --
    "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  5. Re:Snowden never had integrity by fremsley471 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    To anyone who ever says that Snowden told the terrorists about bugging. The 2010 film Four Lions has a scene with the terrorist plotters using a spoof on Disney's "Club Penguin", making it the only safe method to chat to each other (it's a black comedy). Interception was so widely known, it was a joke (see Bin Laden's lack of house-hold comms).

    The people who didn't suspect that electronic comms were all thoroughly bugged were the other 99.999999% of the population. They thought the 'goodies' were targeting the 'baddies'.