I saw it last night and thought it was dynamite. I tried to watch the NBC aftermath on NBC.com where you could participate in real time. Sigh. NBC said the live discussion had been over for 5 hours. Well, gee, then NBC should not have told folks in Hawaii that they could participate.
Snowden's comments on burner phones being owned the INSTANT you first turn it on made me even more determined to never get any kind of cell phone.
I agree with Snowden and feel even more strongly, after seeing the interview, that he is a HERO and that this nation needs a LOT MORE Snowdens.
What did they call that, a reporting relationship? I think they meant to say a monetary relationship .
Monetary? Greg is working with a variety of other journalists to parcel out bits and pieces of the findings (many to the Guardian, some to NBC News, some to the Wall Street Journal, etc.).
I'm much older than Mr Snowden and at his age, I didn't see the world as clearly as he does. Whatever comes of all this, reform or not, he has given us the chance at making things better. True civil disobedience in the modern world.
Got some backup for that statement or is that just a personal belief? No doubt he has been able to monetize this event in a number of different forms including a book (he worked at the Guardian until Oct last year), so this hasn't exactly been purely altruistic work. When you look at Greg's past its clear to see he is a different kind of dude.
Seriously though, this interview does help sort out some of the misinformation, rumors, and speculation about Mr. Snowden and the info he has provided.
Snowden's comments on burner phones being owned the INSTANT you first turn it on...
I'm sure that's true. However IMO it misses the point. If you buy a pre-paid "burner phone" anonymously, with cash, at a large big box store and don't use it to call friends and family it would be very difficult for anyone to link it to the owner. The best they could do is use voice analysis which may or may not be definitive.
The whole point of "burner phones" is to use them for some short period of time. junk them, and buy another. Who cares if they're 0wned when used that way?
Got some backup for that statement or is that just a personal belief? No doubt he has been able to monetize this event in a number of different forms including a book (he worked at the Guardian until Oct last year), so this hasn't exactly been purely altruistic work. When you look at Greg's past its clear to see he is a different kind of dude.
Blake
IIRC, Brian Williams mentioned no money for this interview?
Pretty sure the NSA (and others) can monitor landlines as well as cell/satellite phones. The location of landlines is known. Landline phones probably can't be hacked though.
I have a pre-paid dumb cell phone and it is my home phone. That is it sits in the same place (I don't carry it everywhere) plus I keep it in a glove that makes the camera useless. The sound picked up from the mike is probably so muffled as to be also useless.
The bottom line is that a cell phone, with appropriate precautions, is no less secure than a landline.
Got some backup for that statement or is that just a personal belief? No doubt he has been able to monetize this event in a number of different forms including a book (he worked at the Guardian until Oct last year), so this hasn't exactly been purely altruistic work. When you look at Greg's past its clear to see he is a different kind of dude.
I am still of two minds about Snowden's actions, but after watching the interview replayed last night on MSNBC, I can't say that I blame him for not coming back to the US to stand trial. In today's climate, and with the mockery the Patriot Act has made of our justice system, he would get a show trial and not actual justice.
I hope a lot of people watched that interview, whatever their position on the political spectrum is, because if they were unaware of the extent to which their lives are currently being watched and their privacy invaded, perhaps it will serve as a wake-up call.
quote:But truly to comprehend the growing reach of this formidable organization, it is necessary to recall once again how the computers that power the N.S.A. are also gradually changing lives of Americans - the way they bank, obtain benefits from the Government and communicate with family and friends. Every day, in almost every area of culture and commerce, systems and procedures are being adopted by private companies and organizations as well as by the nation's security leaders that make it easier for the N.S.A. to dominate American society should it ever decide such action is necessary.
I couldn't help but recall that passage from a 1983 article about the NSA. I only read the article within the last year or so (actually, when it was posted here sometime last year ). It's a good read and I think it bears mentioning again.
Everything Snowden said about the capabilities of the NSA meshes with that article. Capabilities that were built on powers slowly granted--or just taken, without repercussions--over decades. If anyone wants to play the blame game for how the NSA abuses its power, they have to start a lot further back than the past few administrations.
Maybe someone showed the article to Snowden before he jumped ship.
Anyone who simply thinks Snowden is a coward for not coming back and subjecting himself to a "fair and open" trial in the US would be well advised to have their eyes opened by Daniel Ellsberg. »www.theguardian.com/comm ··· nage-act
If anyone wants to maintain that Ellsberg is simply making this stuff up, it should be a fairly simple matter to rebut his claims, . . . but I rather doubt that anyone can be bothered (or able) to do that.
John Kerry's challenge to Snowden to return and face trial is either disingenuous or simply ignorant that current prosecutions under the Espionage Act allow no distinction whatever between a patriotic whistleblower and a spy. Either way, nothing excuses Kerry's slanderous and despicable characterizations of a young man who, in my opinion, has done more than anyone in or out of government in this century to demonstrate his patriotism, moral courage and loyalty to the oath of office the three of us swore: to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. loc cit
And please note that the oath in question is to the Constitution, not to whoever happens to be President or Commander-in-Chief at the moment.
Anyone who simply thinks Snowden is a coward for not coming back...
Many consider Snowden a traitor because he revealed information to the US's enemies as well as it citizens. That is a legitimate concern. However, IMO, it misses the point that when a government uses the same techniques to spy on citizens/friends and enemies alike there is no way to reveal that fact without the side effect of letting ones adversaries know as well. If the NSA was only spying on foes there'd be no such conflict of interest. Since they aren't there is.
So, IMO, damage has been done to US national security. However US citizens now know, for certain, that they're also targets. All in all it's quite a mess. That said Snowden didn't create that mess he merely brought it to public attention.
I saw it and thought it interesting. But someone mentioned in the other thread [somewhere on this site] a couple of questions. One was how many times did they rehears the Q&A, before it was taped. What would the raw tape look like compared to the edited tape?
And just how truthful was Snowden being about not being able to get a fair and public trial.
Still I though it fairly interesting when he went over the burner phone. Question is how do I remove a battery from an Iphone without breaking it?
For those who are not deeply rooted in certain communities, you can view the frontline interviews to get a better perspective. »www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/f ··· secrets/
You may also want to view this frontline follow-up -
And please note that the oath in question is to the Constitution, not to whoever happens to be President or Commander-in-Chief at the moment.
There is an order of precedence starting from the U.S. Constitution -
U.S. Constitution Federal Statutes/Presidential Executive Orders (EO) Department of Defense (DoD) and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) Regulations NSA/CSS Directives and Policies USSIDs- SID Management Directives and Policies Office Policies »cryptome.org/2014/05/nsa ··· wden.pdf
I saw this video on your link when there was just you and Mele posting. I was wondering why not much more posts. Must have been the the time difference between us europeans and you fellows.
He is young, but mature in his words. And has payed a big dues for all. I respect him.
Consider, that if the tables were turned, he would have been given polonium.
Also consider that the US authorities have to bear down covertly/overtly to prevent/stop further national security leaks at all costs. That is the mind think. Did he consider that?
Perhaps he is precocious for his age, but his orchestration is subpar.
We will eventually balance things out, as we always do, but in the interim other folks/institutions may take a hit out of necessity- similar in many respects to military discipline -
When someone breaks the rules, the entire platoon or barracks is disciplined (punished).
Criminal Prohibitions on the Publication of Classified Defense Information-
»www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/N ··· -084.pdf "The publication of classified information related to National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance activity is the latest in a series of leaks to the press that has riveted Congress's attention. Press reports describing classified U.S. operations abroad have led to calls from Congress for an investigation into the source of the leaks, and Attorney General Holder appointed two special prosecutors to look into the matter."
"While prosecutions appear to be on the rise, leaks of classified information to the press have relatively infrequently been punished as crimes, and we are aware of no case in which a publisher of information obtained through unauthorized disclosure by a government employee has been prosecuted for publishing it."