Edward Snowden blasts U.S., UK as 'worst offenders' of criminal surveillance

[Eugene]

Source: New York Daily News

Edward Snowden blasts U.S., UK as 'worst offenders' of criminal surveillance

In a piece written for Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, the former NSA contractor — who earlier this year leaked documents about the National Security Agency's secret surveillance program and currently resides in Russia — said 'the debate they wanted to avoid is now taking place in countries around the world … and is causing society to push for political reforms, oversight and new laws.'

BY LESLIE LARSON / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013, 9:47 AM

Edward Snowden may be hiding out in Russia, but he isn't doing so quietly - penning a strongly world letter decrying "criminal surveillance programs" run by major world powers, naming the U.S. and Britain as the "worst offenders," in his piece for Germany's Der Spiegel magazine.

The NSA whistleblower, who has been sheltered in Russia since June, lashed out at the superpowers for snooping without restrictions, citing new information leaked by him that alleges the U.S. listened in on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone and spied on officials of close allies including Spain, France and Brazil.

His letter, titled "A Manifesto for the Truth," was published in German and was delivered to the publication through a "locked channel," according to CNN.

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Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/edward-snowden-blasts-surveillance-programs-new-article-article-1.1505929

[arely staircase]

1. see this is why this guy is so off-putting regardless of how important some of his revelations

He is sitting in Russia for crying out loud and calling the US criminal for spying. And anyone who calls the letter to the editor a manifesto has some serious ego problems.

[ljm2002]

6. He did not work for Russia's spying agency...

...therefore, he did not have any information to reveal about them. He worked for the USA's spying agency, and he understands the tradition we have in this country of freedom from government intrusions, and he saw those being routinely violated, so he chose to blow the whistle on NSA abuses. I don't see what is so hard to understand here.

And of course, as you know, he was not planning to stay in Russia -- but I'm sure he was grateful when they extended temporary asylum.

[arely staircase]

8. so then how does he know we are th worst offenders? If he doesn't know anything about Russia

how does he know they aren't the worst?

[ljm2002]

9. Okay let's review, shall we?

Here is your post in its entirety:

see this is why this guy is so off-putting regardless of how important some of his revelations

He is sitting in Russia for crying out loud and calling the US criminal for spying. And anyone who calls the letter to the editor a manifesto has some serious ego problems.

So: you complain that "He is sitting in Russia" and that he is "calling the US criminal for spying". I responded that he did not intend to remain in Russia (a fact that is not in question), and that he blew the whistle on NSA abuses based on his understanding of our American principles of a free society.

Now you want to shift the discussion to Snowden's statement of who is the worst offender. Sorry, I'm not playing. TTFN

[arely staircase]

23. it is the same discussion

And you post a long thread to tell me you aren't playing?

[Luminous Animal]

33. He doesn't and he says so.

In a very short time, the world has learned much about unaccountable secret agencies and about sometimes illegal surveillance programs. Sometimes the agencies even deliberately try to hide their surveillance of high officials or the public. While the NSA and GCHQ seem to be the worst offenders – this is what the currently available documents suggest – we must not forget that mass surveillance is a global problem in need of global solution

https://occupyblogosphere.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/a-manifesto-for-the-truth-edward-snowden-der-spiegel/

Not quite "blasting" the U.S. and England is it...

[geek tragedy]

2. No criticism of China, Russia, or other dictatorships

that actually do monitor and control their citizens' access to the Internet?

This is why it's possible to recognize the value he provided and also oppose any kind of clemency for him. He thinks Mother Russia is such a bastion of freedom from surveillance compared to the US, let him stay there.

[treestar]

5. Yeah this made me go OFFS!

Really, Eddie. How obvious can he get?

And the idea he knows everything there is to know about the NSA is out there now. Why would he know anything about the Merkel spying? Just because he let out documents out to foreigners means he has detailed knowledge of everything that happened?

He's trying to get in the news like Julian does. In fact, Julian has been quiet for a while, I expect him to find a way to get attention in 4, 3, 2, 1

[randome]

7. For Assange, last time it sounded like the stone in the shoe was about to get the boot.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[ronnie624]

10. I would probably be more concerned about China or Russia

if I was a citizen of one of those countries. Pointing at them does not relieve me of responsibility for my own government's actions.

[geek tragedy]

11. Snowden's concern is Russia, since that's his new home. That's whose laws he lives under. nt

[ronnie624]

16. But we aren't Snowden.

We can't reform our own system by pointing at China and Russia.

[geek tragedy]

14. Does any sentient human being really believe that the US snoops on its own people

moreso than the Russians and Chinese do?

[geek tragedy]

32. Here's a sampling:

http://surveillance.rsf.org/en/china/

The Chinese Communist Party runs one of the world’s biggest digital empires, if not the biggest. In the Middle Kingdom, all Internet access is owned by the state, which is usually another way of saying the Party. Individuals and companies have to rent their broadband access from the Chinese state or a state-controlled company. The four national networks, CTNET, Chinanet, Cernet and CHINAGBN, are the backbone of the Internet in China. The network was restructured in 2008, leading to the emergence of three major national service providers, China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile, in all of which the state has a majority control. Public access to the Internet is delegated to regional companies.

..

The Great Firewall of China
The tools put in place to filter and monitor the Internet are collectively known as the Great Firewall of China. Begun in 2003, it allows access to foreign websites to be filtered. Besides the usual routing regulations that allow access to an IP address or a particular domain name to be blocked, the Great Firewall of China makes large-scale use of Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology to block access based on keyword detection.

According to a report entitled Planet Blue Coat by The Citizen Lab, an interdisciplinary research centre at the University of Toronto, at least three Blue Coat servers are used by the ISP China Net (controlled by the Chinese government) in Szechuan Province. Their presence was detected in late 2012. Blue Coat is a company that specialises in network surveillance products. The servers identified in China are of the PacketShaper type. They allow monitoring and control of Internet traffic by blocking feeds and content that are considered undesirable.

[snooper2]

3. I thought Snowy had a job now...??

I guess he needs something to fill his evenings

[randome]

4. I think it's finally hitting him how badly he screwed up.

Turned away from his fiance and family and I'd guess he has even fewer friends in Russia than he had here and we can't find any here.

All to reveal to the world that governments spy.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[snooper2]

18. comrade Snowy! is that you!

[snooper2]

20. In the short time between our replies, I've already got

both your main email accounts, current and past employers and an old cell number (I'm not that fast LOL)...

Oh, and your back screen door is slightly ajar

[Cali_Democrat]

15. Has Snowden said anything about Russian and Chinese surveillance?

[randome]

17. Well, he said that the U.S. and U.K. "...appear to be the worst offenders...".

The paradox is this: we aren't actually that good at keeping secrets. And that allowed Snowden to get away with as much as he did.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[woo me with science]

21. Put the corporate propaganda on ignore.

It is thick in any thread dealing with Snowden, because he is considered so dangerous to the corporate surveillance state.

It is a shame that DU has come to this, but states that build surveillance machines also build propaganda machines.

Snowden will be smeared and any means possible used to divert from what he revealed: the criminal subversion of our intelligence agencies for two reasons:

1) Mass spying and total information awareness FOR PROFIT
and
2) Mass spying and total information awareness in order to prevent resistance by those being exploited FOR PROFIT.

It is no accident that those who show up to smear Snowden in these threads are the very same posters who relentlessly smear every liberal politician and defend every single corporate outrage coming out of this administration.

Ignore the garbage propaganda that justifies trashing our Constitution. Just make it disappear.

[randome]

22. Where do you get the 'for profit' theory?

If the NSA is selling corporate secrets, then the world should be functioning like a well-oiled machine by now, wouldn't you think?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[arely staircase]

24. he is saying that if you don't love snowden

you are a paid corporate shill and that you are a right winger on every issue there is. At least that is how I read it.

[Luminous Animal]

28. You will be interested to find out that the article grossly misrepresented Snowden's "Manifesto"...

https://occupyblogosphere.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/a-manifesto-for-the-truth-edward-snowden-der-spiegel/

[woo me with science]

30. Thank you. These well-funded liars will do *anything* to perpetuate the spying.

We are facing pure corruption in media and governments, nothing less than corporate fascism.

[backscatter712]

34. I gave most of the McCarthyists a Klingon discommendation.

For they are without honor.

They're not coming off my ignore list any time soon.

[gopiscrap]

26. not a surprise

[Luminous Animal]

27. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! The actual letter is quite a bit different than characterized in the

article.

In a very short time, the world has learned much about unaccountable secret agencies and about sometimes illegal surveillance programs. Sometimes the agencies even deliberately try to hide their surveillance of high officials or the public. While the NSA and GCHQ seem to be the worst offenders – this is what the currently available documents suggest – we must not forget that mass surveillance is a global problem in need of global solutions.

https://occupyblogosphere.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/a-manifesto-for-the-truth-edward-snowden-der-spiegel/

[idwiyo]

29. k&r

[SidDithers]

31. DU rec...

for the hilarious parodies of far-left libertarians who show up in every Snowden or Greenwald thread, to defend their hero.

Comedy gold.

Sid