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Snowden: What Happened In 2013 Couldn't Have Happened Without Free Software (networkworld.com)

An anonymous reader writes from a NetworkWorld article: NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden spoke at Free Software Foundation's LibrePlanet 2016 on free software, privacy, and security. He credited free software for his ability to help disclose the U.S. government's far-reaching surveillance projects. "What happened in 2013 couldn't have happened without free software," he said, particularly citing projects like Tor, Tails (a highly secure Linux distribution) and Debian. "I didn't use Microsoft machines when I was in my operational phase, because I couldn't trust them," Snowden stated. "Not because I knew that there was a particular back door or anything like that, but because I couldn't be sure."

3 of 120 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Soon... War on Open Source by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    Well President Obama has declared that using an IPhone makes you a pedophile, so you are correct.

    Don't be a terrorist; Use Microsoft products.

  2. Note for whiplash by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Note the following:

    [...] citing projects like Tor, Tails (a highly secure Linux distribution) and Debian.

    "Tor" and "Debian" are well known and probably don't need explanation, while "Tails" is more obscure and has a quick explanatory note.

    This is how you do it, this is a good method. (It's in the original article.)

    Looking through the past 3 pages of Slashdot I couldn't find any examples of obscurity, but I found lots of examples of references that had a hint of help for the reader - a word of context or a placing phrase or something that illuminates the subject for the reader.

    It looks like things are getting better. Keep up the good work.

  3. Re: "Couldn't be sure" by Type44Q · · Score: 4, Interesting

    There's a disinfo unit out of Fort Meade that uses low-grade nerds in uniform to overwhelm people in chatrooms when certain subjects come up; the government has openly solicited bids for software to allow these clowns to "handle multiple simultaneous chatbots and user accounts."