Guardian will not be intimidated over NSA leaks, Alan Rusbridger tells MPs

[malaise]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/03/guardian-not-intimidated-nsa-leaks-alan-rusbridger-surveillance
<snip>
The Guardian has come under concerted pressure and intimidation designed to stop it from publishing stories of huge public interest that have revealed the "staggering" scale of Britain's and America's secret surveillance programmes, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper has said.

Giving evidence to a parliamentary committee about stories based on the National Security Agency leaks from the whistleblower Edward Snowden, Alan Rusbridger said the Guardian "would not be put off by intimidation, but nor are we going to behave recklessly".

He told MPs that disclosures from the files had generated a global debate about the powers of state agencies, and the weaknesses of the laws and oversight regimes they worked within.

"In terms of the broader debate, I can't think of a story in recent times that has ricocheted around the world like this has and which has been more broadly debated in parliaments, in courts and amongst NGOs," he said.

[msongs]

1. the Guardian vs perpetrators of war crimes. nt

[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, malaise.

[2banon]

3. Well Done Alan Rusbridger! eom.

[Luminous Animal]

4. He was asked, "Do you love this country?" Disgusting.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. I have been following this disquiting effort by Brit Gov. to censor and control news

esp. what newspapers can be allowed to print.
Have no way of knowing how Brits feel about it.

[BelgianMadCow]

10. "Have no way of knowing how Brits feel about it."

Check out the comments section on the Guardian articles. They put DU to shame, frankly. Much less of the usual messenger attacking / everybody does it / we all knew all of that / if you've got nothing to hide...

And across the board indignation, and even surprising unity - in the sense there isn't the usual debate between labour and conservative voices on which past or current govt is to blame. Current one is being blamed for the crackdown on the free press, and the past one for going along with the US (on the Iraq war, and with regards to spying). Main beef posters have is "what the f*** can we DO to stop this" - all parties are involved. Of course, that's only the readers' section of the Guardian, and not overall opinion.

Did you know the government in the UK sent out "D notices" which basically tell the press to shut up about the whole thing?

Defence officials issued a confidential D notice to the BBC and other media groups in an attempt to censor coverage of surveillance tactics employed by intelligence agencies in the UK and US.

Editors were asked not to publish information that may "jeopardise both national security and possibly UK personnel" in the warning issued on 7 June, a day after the Guardian first revealed details of the National Security Agency's (NSA) secret Prism programme.

The D notice, which was marked "private and confidential: not for publication, broadcast or use on social media", was made public on the Westminster gossip blog, Guido Fawkes. Although only advisory for editors, the self-censorship system is intended to prevent the media from making "inadvertent public disclosure of information that would compromise UK military and intelligence operations and methods".

Couple that with the arrest under terrorism law of Miranda, Greenwald's partner, and yes, very chilling indeed.

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. Wow..I never knew about D notices

Sounds a lot like the Patriot Act letters that you are not supposed to talk about.

Isn't it interesting that organizations and gov'ts that have all the control, the money, the police, the military, are so damn afraid of one person telling another what is going on?

[BelgianMadCow]

13. The whole thing is putting a whole new mock in democracy

if you ask me.

Like Merkel and her government, at the height of her phone-tap scandal, after having dismissed the entire NSA thing as "dealt with" earlier (throwing all her citizens under the bus), making loud noises but NOT putting her foot down for a speedy new EU directive dealing with privacy rights.

Chancellor Merkel has put on a good show of being outraged by American spying. But, at the same time, she has impeded efforts to strengthen data security. Does she really want more privacy, or is she more interested in being accepted into the exclusive group of info-sharing countries known as the 'Five Eyes' club?

One particular point of clarification was especially important to Angela Merkel during the EU summit in Brussels last week. When she complained about the NSA's alleged tapping of her cellphone, the German chancellor made clear that her concern was not for herself, but for the "telephones of millions of EU citizens," whose privacy she said was compromised by US spying.

Yet at a working dinner with fellow EU heads of state on Thursday, where the agenda included a proposed law to bolster data protection, Merkel's fighting spirit on behalf of the EU's citizens seemed to have dissipated.

In fact, internal documents show that Germany applied the brakes when it came to speedy passage of such a reform. Although a number of EU member states -- including France, Italy and Poland -- were pushing for the creation of a Europe-wide modern data protection framework before European Parliament elections take place in May 2014, the issue ended up tabled until 2015.

from Der Spiegel. And this whilst even the commenters at the conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine are livid about the spying.

It's becoming clear that it's We the People that have to take on the corporate state. Our democracies dealt and are dealing with the banking crisis in the most abysmal way, and write stern letters about the spying...

But yes, revelations like Snowden's can make it unravel. Remember, only 1% published...

Speaking truth to power. Now more needed than ever.

[riverbendviewgal]

6. I wish the Duardian will take u the cause of fighting FATCA

The UK was the first to sign to have the IRS get to see all the UK bank accounts and transactions that are connected to American persons.

[WillyT]

7. K & R !!!

[malaise]

8. Adding Bernstein's great letter

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024128057#post2

[Hubert Flottz]

9. K&R

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. Thank you Guardian and Edward Snowden who shook the world with the revelations.