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Snowden Rallies Privacy Advocates In New York City

Posted by samzenpus on from the fight-the-power dept.

An anonymous reader writes 'Mass global surveillance "isn't just an American problem, this is a global problem," Edward Snowden told the Personal Democracy Forum (PDF) conference in New York on Thursday. Appearing via video call from Moscow, Snowden spoke with John Perry Barlow, cofounder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, in front of a crowd of hundreds gathered in downtown Manhattan. Barlow announced the launch of the Courage Foundation, an organization dedicated to financially supporting Snowden's considerable legal battles. "I'm afraid we've descended to this point," Barlow said, "But why do animals lick their genitals? Because they can. Why do governments do this? Because they can't lick their own." "They're licking ours," Snowden quipped, "and taking pictures."'

15 of 72 comments (clear)

  1. We're supposed to take this seriously? by Powercntrl · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Southpark has already done plenty of political satire peppered with dick and fart jokes. If Snowden doesn't want to come across as a tinfoil hat loonie, he should probably tone down the juvenile humor a notch. It's frequently said that those who resort to insults do so because they can't hold an intelligent debate.

    --

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    DRM is like antifreeze, to the MPAA/RIAA it's sweet, to the consumers it's poison.
    1. Re:We're supposed to take this seriously? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      because they can't hold an intelligent debate.

      There's no intelligent debate to be had, or a debate at all. It's just the government violating the highest law of the land, and people who give a shit trying to stop them. They had no moral high ground since the beginning.

    2. Re:We're supposed to take this seriously? by is+not+primary · · Score: 3, Informative

      It wasn't Snowden making the joke, it was Barlow

    3. Re:We're supposed to take this seriously? by TapeCutter · · Score: 2

      It's frequently said that those who resort to insults do so because they can't hold an intelligent debate.

      Maybe, but you're assuming the opposition want an intelligent debate.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    4. Re:We're supposed to take this seriously? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Oh, come on. Next thing would be "Not Safe For Work" or what.

      I actually had a chuckle of that. And BTW:

      > If Snowden doesn't want to come across as a tinfoil hat loonie [...]

      1. It was John Perry Barlow's joke (and it wasn't that bad, but YMMV).

      2. I'd take Sowden seriously independently of what jokes he might tell. I use my judgemeng for that.

    5. Re:We're supposed to take this seriously? by Powercntrl · · Score: 3, Interesting

      There's no intelligent debate to be had, or a debate at all. It's just the government violating the highest law of the land, and people who give a shit trying to stop them. They had no moral high ground since the beginning.

      The point is, if the situation is dire and serious, the message should be as well. Think about it for a second, if someone on here posted "Don't buy an iPhone because Apple wants to lick your balls!" it would be moderated as troll in the blink of an eye. It works for Southpark because the objective is to get you to laugh. When you're pointing out an injustice being committed by the government, you should be trying to get people to think.

      --

      ---
      DRM is like antifreeze, to the MPAA/RIAA it's sweet, to the consumers it's poison.
    6. Re:We're supposed to take this seriously? by MrKaos · · Score: 4, Interesting

      There's no intelligent debate to be had, or a debate at all. It's just the government violating the highest law of the land, and people who give a shit trying to stop them. They had no moral high ground since the beginning.

      The point is, if the situation is dire and serious, the message should be as well.

      Whilst that is true, paradoxically, the more dire and serious the message is, the easier for our controlled press outlets to manipulate it into something else, so the less people listen. Perhaps Snowden is just pressing a point in presenting the argument that way to make it, feel, really personal because it is.

      When you're pointing out an injustice being committed by the government, you should be trying to get people to think.

      You are right, I sense they will think 'EWWWW', however it's a mammoth task getting people to do anything until they understand why its in their own self interest. Slowly the legal framework is put in place, the use of such powers concealed and, sometimes not acted on. People never feel the impact and are dumbed down enough to be apathetic enough to allow more freedoms to be stolen. Look at the silly monkey

      The self involved aspects of our own culture works against us as vanity makes so many of us desperately shallow and ignorant. Meanwhile those remaining in our western society who understand what freedoms are being stolen and twisted against us, scream in frustration as democracy is turned into a parody of what was supposed to be. A trapped is only closed when all avenues of escape are.

      It would seem though that even in the intelligence agencies there are people saying 'this is gone far enough', recognised whoever is pushing this agenda as a domestic enemy and have been brave enough to stand up to the systemic corruption that is threatening to collapse Western society the same way the USSR was. They are ejected from the machinery.

      I just hope that democracy doesn't become the experimental blip in history between monarchies and ogliarchies because we were too afraid and lazy to face the responsibilities of living in one.

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
  2. Snowden For President by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Let's vote him in and he can pardon himself. Problem solved.

    1. Re:Snowden For President by bayankaran · · Score: 3, Insightful

      May not be President, but he deserves the Nobel (way more than most, including your current guy holding one for who knows what!)

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      Tat Tvam Asi
    2. Re:Snowden For President by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Nobel Prize has gone the way of the Guinness World Record. It used to be for some real accomplishment, now it's mostly a wanking- and popularity contest.

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      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:Snowden For President by lagomorpha2 · · Score: 2

      I wonder how far a White House petition to give Snowden a Presidential Medal of Freedom would get...

      Not that he would actually get one, but to show how many people are pissed off about what the government's been doing.

    4. Re:Snowden For President by lagomorpha2 · · Score: 2

      It brings up a troubling question, in this day and age of our surveillance state intelligence angencies - who'd want to sign their name on that list, which would obviously be passed over to the "watchers" as "potential troublemakers".

      I thought of that myself, 2 points:

      1) Anyone who would sign it is probably already on some sort of list
      and
      2) If we're to the point where that is a legitimate concern then it's even more important to do so.

  3. Thank you Snowden by MildlyTangy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Thank you Mr Snowden for everything you have done.

    We always suspected, but never really knew how bad things really are until now.

    Again, I thank you.

  4. Anaemic Responses by jaeztheangel · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I woke up this morning and found myself wondering - if I met Snowden what would I ask him?

    Then I realized, he's managed to turn the focus of the world back onto the invasion of our selves, social and personal, by governments.

    So I'd ask: "why then, is the response so anaemic?"

    Who we are used to be about our bodies, our family, our social interactions day to day. Suddenly as technology began to increase our reach - we found all forms of communication first monitored, then censored by governments, and their corporate proxies.

    I don't deny them the right to protect themselves, but it seems to me that 'they' are 'us'. We all want status, and security, so we aim for money (counters printed by them), power (positions, and authority rationed out by them), and I don't know a single business leader or politician who doesn't defend themselves by setting up legal structures to deflect blame or absolve themselves.

    What we need perhaps is to take the tools of the internet and create something new - looking at BitCoin and its resilience in the face of massive corporate and government opposition I think what worries them is they'll first cede control of the coinage, and then cede control of the courts.

    Coins are important - we used to rely on governments to stand by their currency but with BTC and related currencies we can now create unforgeable, and publicly verifiable money. No need for banks, and their associated parasites.

    Courts are also vital - well aware that people are tried in public as much as in private - both the etiquette and the frameworks for legal accountability are shifting towards the individual. I'm heartened by the approach of the EU, and glad that Google is moving forward to implementing privacy carefully and thoughtfully.

    Sorry for writing so much, please let me know what you think privacy will be like in 5-10 years - and critically - if you think we'll be able to be private citizens again, or is it already too late?

    Thank you.

  5. traitor to your on constitution.. by kirthn · · Score: 2

    Lol...enough non-americans here....who can't be called traitors in any case..

    US used to be "Land of the Free"...with very strong conditions not allowing the government to become a tyranny, among: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution prohibits "unreasonable searches and seizures." Seizure – the taking of private information"

    Apparently you are the traitor to your own constitution...I guess it will be come down between Snowden's Constitution and Obma's Constitution

    and to speak with Benjamin Franklin... "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both"

    --
    Famous last words:"but...."