Edward Snowden's New Job: Tech Support 328
Nerval's Lobster writes "Government whistleblower Edward Snowden, exiled in Russia after releasing top-secret documents about the National Security Agency's surveillance activities to the press, has a new job: tech support. Snowden's lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told the Associated Press that his client starts work Nov. 1 for a "major" Russian Website, which he declined to name. In June, Snowden—a former CIA employee who worked as a contractor for the NSA—began feeding an enormous pile of classified charts and documents about federal surveillance programs to The Guardian and other newspapers. Many of those documents suggested that the NSA, ordinarily tasked with intercepting communications from terrorists and foreign governments, collects massive amounts of information on ordinary Americans, which in turn ignited a firestorm of controversy. The Snowden revelations have continued into this week, with The Washington Post reporting that the NSA has aggressively targeted Google and Yahoo servers. Snowden's documents suggest that the agency has figured out how to tap the links connecting the two tech giants' datacenters to the broader Web. Google told the Post that it was "troubled" by the report. A Yahoo spokesperson insisted that the company had "strict controls in place to protect the security of our datacenters" and that "we have not given access to our data centers to the NSA or to any other government agency.""
IT support (Score:5, Funny)
Re:IT support (Score:4, Funny)
Dammit, it was working fine last week. I had Merkel's phone records, Calderón's e-mails, I even had Rousseff's contact list. Can't you IT people keep anything working!
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
Re:IT support (Score:5, Insightful)
Much more likely it is an NSA/GCHQ malware USB stick given they have been caught red handed spying at the G20 [theguardian.com]. Even going as far as setting up dummy internet cafes which are a lot more expensive than distributing a few USB sticks.
Accusing Russia at this point of a few malware USB sticks without presenting any hard evidence is really just lame and shows how desperate they are to divert media attention off their own despicable actions (i.e. spying for industrial and economic espionage purposes, G20 has nothing to do with terrorism).
Step forward with the hard evidence if your trying to justify your own criminal actions by accusing others of what you have been caught doing... and even if true it hardly excuses the fact.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Accusing Russia at this point of a few malware USB sticks without presenting any hard evidence is really just lame and shows how desperate they are to divert media attention off their own despicable actions (i.e. spying for industrial and economic espionage purposes, G20 has nothing to do with terrorism).
Not nearly as lame as pretending Russia doesn't do it.
Here's a hint guys ... our spy agencies ... SPY ON PEOPLE, ITS THEIR FUCKING JOB. Why the fuck do you guys act surprised or outraged? This has been going on for thousands of years, you're an idiot if Snowden has told you something you didn't know before.
You should be pissed that the NSA is spying on Americans. But you should be more pissed if they weren't spying on leaders of other countries. That is their charter. EVERYONE KNOW IT except apparentl
Re:IT support (Score:5, Funny)
"IT support?"
"Yes."
"I hear a strange noise on my phone."
"It's... cosmic radiation. Yeah. That's it. A whole bunch of cosmic radiation."
[long pause]
"... Tovarisch, you know in this country we do study physics, right?"
Re: (Score:3)
"Yes."
"I hear a strange noise on my phone."
"That's my voice."
Re: (Score:3)
Actual most likely job, from the BBC: "Pavel Durov, who founded VKontakte in 2006, invited Mr Snowden through a post on his own webpage to join the company's St Petersburg headquarters to work on data protection."
VK would count as a major website, for sure.
Re: (Score:2)
the Bastard Operator From Hell at El Reg [theregister.co.uk] was looking for helldesk fodder... Coincidence? I think probably so.
Re: (Score:3)
"IT support. Have you tried turning the NSA tapping device off and on again?"
"Hello my name's Edward Snowden. I can help you today. I can see you tried switching it off and switching it off again but the password you just entered is not the one we have on file."
Re:Hell Desk (Score:5, Funny)
I can feel his pain.
Then it's your pain, not his.
Re:Hell Desk (Score:4, Funny)
I can feel his pain.
Then it's your pain, not his.
In Soviet Russia Snowden feels your pain TOO!
Re:Hell Desk (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
... he'll be supporting one of non-government internet portals ...
Odd that the Russian government took a pass on hiring such talent. On the other hand, the Russians aren't stupid.
permissions (Score:5, Funny)
Don't give him root.
Re: (Score:2)
Root for Snoden. He's a hero.
Re: (Score:3)
Re:permissions (Score:5, Insightful)
If your data's are completely legitimate and show no wrongdoing from the company part, I don't think you should be afraid of him working for your company. A whist-blower is not someone who like to share your data, it is someone who can't bear all the wrongdoing you/your company are doing that he don't see other way to make you stop doing it than showing it to the world hoping that you will change. Generally they are people who have a high level of moral integrity.
Re: (Score:2)
Generally they are people who have a high level of moral integrity.
Or at least they think they do... but then again, the people they work against also think they're right, as well. Who exactly gets the absolute right to decide what's ultimately "wrongdoing" as opposed to just "secret"?
Re:permissions (Score:4, Informative)
For the USA, the people of the United States who elected a president that made campaign promises not to do many of the things that Snowden proved they were doing. For corporations the government which they are chartered or acting.
Re: (Score:3)
I do not agree with this simplistic view. The guy may think you are evil and decide to share your data, it is all left to his own appreciation and judgement. A single guy may destroy a lot of other guys because he believes it is the right thing to do. In some sense, your data is better in the hands of the NSA than in the hands of a free-electron you don't know really what he is thinking and cannot predict what he will do with it..
Sorry to say that, but a whistleblower isn't automagically a good guy with hig
Re: (Score:2)
The barriers to entry for whistleblowing are so great and self-selecting for GOOD PEOPLE that I think your point that "automagically" isn't good is moot.
Can you name any bad guy whisteblowers? I only know heroes. There are howwever, a boatload of cowards, nihilists and jackboots with the opinion "let's suspect they are bad until proven otherwise."
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
That was the same argument justifying the spying in the first place; "If you have nothing to hide, what do you have to fear?"
What about the poor Business that happens to be friends on Facebook with a corrupt Business? Or how about a company that legitimately owns and bribes a politician in the LEGAL way?
Even an honest, unassuming corporation has to fear whistleblowing, because they might lose a parent company -- and who wants to lose a mommy or a daddy? OF course, any honest and unassuming corporation in th
Re:permissions (Score:5, Informative)
Generally they are people who have a high level of moral integrity.
Morals are not universal.
Oh, the fuck they aren't.
I'm getting pretty fed up with people excusing fucked up behavior by claiming, 'waaah, but morals are hard!'
No, they fucking aren't; you want to be a morally just person? Remember one rule: treat every other person the way you want to be treated. Excluding true sociopaths who are chemically unable to parse the concept, yes, morality really is that simple.
Re: (Score:2)
That logic can be used to argue both sides of almost anything, from making kids eat their veggies to invading Iraq (if you convince yourself you'll be greeted as a liberator).
Re: (Score:2)
That logic can be used to argue both sides of almost anything, from making kids eat their veggies to invading Iraq (if you convince yourself you'll be greeted as a liberator).
Um, no. Think about it; we'll use your Iraq example, since eating vegetables is more of a health issue than a moral one.
Does anyone want someone else to come into their home and level it? Of course not, thus, it is an immoral action. It's when people start making up addendums and exceptions to the Golden Rule (like, "Well, I wouldn't want to be invaded, but those people probably want us to invade them!") that the waters get unnecessarily muddy.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
All well and good, but you still haven't answered the fundamental question: would you want some other nation and their government to invade your homeland and blow it 3/4 of the way to shit?
Side note: I get the feeling, had those Iraqi people who wanted us to invade actually known what the repercussions would be (loss of life, introduction of terrorism, destruction of infrastructure, etc.), they would have kept their mouths shut.
Re: (Score:3)
Think of it this way:
- We don't want our country invaded and blown up, so we shouldn't invade other countries and blow them up.
- I'd wager that Saddam Hussein probably wouldn't be keen on being tortured, dismembered, murdered, etc., so if he had been a moral person, he wouldn't have treated the Kurds so poorly, and they wouldn't have wanted us to invade.
That's the problem, I think: most people seem to have trouble applying The Rule universally.
Anyways, any sensible interpretation of the Golden Rule re-interprets it to treat others as they wish to be treated in preference to how you like to be treated, if you happen to know how their preferences are not yours. I.e. don't take a vegetarian out for steaks.
Sigh... boy do I tire of explaining apparently simple concepts..
Re: (Score:2)
That logic can be used to argue both sides of almost anything, from making kids eat their veggies to invading Iraq (if you convince yourself you'll be greeted as a liberator).
Ya, and you can use math to make it seem like anything is possible. What is your point?
Re:permissions (Score:4, Insightful)
THIS a thousand times.
IF the internet had a "punch in face" button, I'd be pressing it a few times for the next person who tries to debate torture, spying and why we shouldn't be pushing green tech yesterday. There's debatable points, but some things aren't up for debate.
The NSA is doing the wrong thing, and it isn't even after bad guys -- it's clear they were on the path of control and a lot of their data was going to be used for Corporate Espionage. Stop pretending that the CIA and these other three-letter companies haven't gone well past their original purpose and into the deep end. The number of people doing the wrong thing doesn't justify doing the wrong thing -- they just have a lot of cover and finger pointing exercises.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
So a masochist would be allowed to hurt other people?
Re: (Score:2)
Caring / avoiding harm, and equity/justice are universal morals (care about others, don't hurt them, and be just and equitable to others).
Humans and primates have these values ingrained in them. When people violate them, they feel guilty (sociopaths are pathological because they violate them without guilt).
Other universal morals, like group loyalty, are usually subordinate to these main two. That is, you should not harm lots of outsiders unfairly out of blind loyalty to your own group.
"Do unto others" is mu
Re: (Score:2)
"Do unto others" is much too simple, but I think it's intended to suggest care/avoid harm and equity/justice.
I actually came up with a second cardinal rule that pretty much shores (sp?) up the shortcomings of the first, but for the life of me can't remember how it goes... I'll call that a consequence of rarely being put into morally questionable circumstances.
If it does come to mind I'll let you know.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Remember one rule: treat every other person the way you want to be treated.
As a exhibitionist who's also a voyeur, I couldn't agree more. Now if you'd just open the curtains a bit more...
Re: (Score:3)
So, you're some kind of jerk then.
Re: (Score:3)
Really? Say there is some poisoned food, but you don't know that it is poisoned, and you are hungry. But someone else does.
According to your claim, that other person should not stop you from eating that stuff, because after all, you know best what is good for you.
Oh, come now. You know as well as I do that is a ridiculous non-sequitur; hell, in your next couple of sentences you pretty much call yourself out on it!
OK, now you will say "ah, but that's just a lack of knowledge, if I knew what is in that food, I'd certainly decide not to eat it." So let's slightly modify the situation:
You know quite well that there's cyanide in the food, but you believe cyanide would be harmless. The other person knows quite well that cyanide will kill you. So should that other person still stop you?
That other person would have to ask themselves, "If I was about to eat something that would kill me, and someone else knows that I shouldn't, would I want that person to tell me about it?"
The Golden Rule still applies.
OK, let's modify again: The person doesn't know that there's cyanide in the food, but only firmly believes it. Should she still prevent your from eating it?
Is that something you would want someone else to do to you? Because that's your answer. Personally, I wouldn't be poisoning other people's fo
Re: (Score:3)
The way I see it is, if you had you family killed by say "a terrorist" and the NSA told you: "we could have prevented that attack if we were allowed to tap in". You would have a completely different view of the whole issue and would consider Snowden to be a hold back towards American family's security.
On the flip side you could be the 22 year old paranoid tech savvy guy that cares so much about his privacy that Snowden is a hero.
So who is right? The answer is nobody. It's a split debate and some will see d
Re: (Score:2)
Wow, harsh. (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
"IF" he cracks?
Man, I know he's a pretty tough guy but let's be realistic.
His new employer (Score:2)
Now *that's* punishment (Score:5, Funny)
He should've just let them shoot him.
A bunch of lying liars who lie (Score:2, Offtopic)
A Yahoo spokesperson insisted that the company had "strict controls in place to protect the security of our datacenters" and that "we have not given access to our data centers to the NSA or to any other government agency, unless Edward Snowden has evidence that we were cooperating the entire time at which point we will clam up and not be available for comment."
There, fixed that for you unnamed Yahoo spokesperson.
Re:A bunch of lying liars who lie (Score:5, Insightful)
What I took away from the Yahoo comment was how it was worded vs the Snowden revelation. "We have not given access to our data centers to the NSA or to any other government agency." However, the Snowden leak said that the cables to the data centers were tapped. The NSA wouldn't need access to the physical servers if they could just grab a copy of all data heading into and out of the data center. Now, this could have been done without Yahoo knowing or it could have been done with their help (but without giving access to the data center to allow for plausible deniability should the story get out).
idiot (Score:5, Insightful)
since the u.s. claims global jurisdiction over its citizens regardless of where they travel to or reside, and he is still one, now he's gonna have to file taxes.... that means if they don't know it yet, by april 15th, the feds will know his address... and if he doesn't file, he can then be arrested on tax evasion.. even if what he's done already ends up being legal whistleblowing.
Re: (Score:2)
The US claims global jurisdiction over its citizens, so what? You can't always get what you want, ya know?
Worked for Capone (Score:3, Interesting)
If the FBI can't get him, the IRS will. Nice.
Re: (Score:2)
If the FBI can't get him, the IRS will. Nice.
Happens to the best [wikipedia.org]...
Re: (Score:3)
if he doesn't file, he can then be arrested on tax evasion
Yeah, he's wanted for international espionage. I'm sure a charge of tax evasion doesn't bother him! What are they going to threaten him with next? A speeding ticket? Jaywalking? Littering?
Re: (Score:2)
since the u.s. claims global jurisdiction over its citizens regardless of where they travel to or reside, and he is still one, now he's gonna have to file taxes.... that means if they don't know it yet, by april 15th, the feds will know his address... and if he doesn't file, he can then be arrested on tax evasion.. even if what he's done already ends up being legal whistleblowing.
Cant he just use a PO box for his address?
Re: (Score:3)
Just not all that true. The same Russians that denied extradition of Snowden from the transit lounge at the Moscow airport are not likely to agree to have him arrested and sent to the USA for tax evasion.
That's not the point (Score:2)
The point is that IF (or when?) they get him, instead of an ugly trial process that the government may even loose, or not get a severe enough punishment (for them), or they may be forced to reveal (even more) stuff they don't want to, they have a very easy and clear-cut tax evasion case. Also, the public doesn't like people who avoid taxes, so it's also much easier on the PR front. And no war between the pro- and contra-Snowden factions, at least not nearly as much compared to if the trial is about "treason
Re: (Score:2)
No it's not. It's pretty dumb, really.
- What, exactly, is preventing him from filing? He can fill his forms (even online, maybe) and send them in. Even illegal immigrants inside the US can file taxes. Can you tell me why he wouldn't file?
- "by april 15th, the feds will know his address" Do you actually believe they don't know it yet?
Re: (Score:2)
That doesn't strip a person of their citizenship - just the ability to travel.
The US, for all its power, hasn't plugged the leak (Score:5, Interesting)
Whatever Snowden did to bottle up his stolen cache of documents, it has apparently kept the entire US security apparatus at bay.
Now, THAT'S a project that would look good on an IT resume, anywhere.
Re: (Score:2)
He can outbid anyone on Ebay. Anyone.
Re: (Score:2)
The US plugged the leak, no new documents has been leaked lately, just been releasing the June documents in a timely rate. And while there are no new leakers, the government keep promising that they did not ever, is not doing, and will stop doing whatever is in this leaks, hoping that there are people with lower IQ than body temperature (in celsius) that believes them, while now there is no way to truly verify that (they probably will even release their own "leaks" to keep the illusion of that all will be l
Re: (Score:2)
Snowden is no longer leaking docs, and hasn't since the original handover.
Its the journalists (Glen Greenwald & Laura Poitras) he handed the docs to who have been trickling out the docs.
They have stated that they have multiple copies in multiple locations and the intercept at Heathrow Airport of Glen Greenwald's partner, David Miranda, where the British confiscated USB drives containing copies of classifed materials did not hinder their access to the material.
(Who gives their partner a bunch of classifi
Re: (Score:2)
Whatever Snowden did to bottle up his stolen cache of documents, it has apparently kept the entire US security apparatus at bay.
"US Security apparatus At bay"? How so?
As I see it, they have stopped him from having access to any additional materials to leak, effectively confined him to living in Russian hands and although additional documents are trickling out, his time in the limelight is almost over. As I see it, he is alive today only because the US security apparatus decided to let him live for now, and the Russians are only going to be interested in him for as long as they can keep documents trickling out that they haven't ye
Re: (Score:2)
He's no longer in possession of them. He hasn't had his documents since he left the country. He also wouldn't have the means to protect them. The ONE smart thing he did was not taking the documents to China or Russia.
Re: (Score:2)
Google! Apple! Apple! Apple! Apple! Google! Apple!
Google! Google! Apple! Apple! Apple! Apple! Google!
Google! Google! Apple! Apple! Google! Apple! Apple!
Apple! Google! Apple! Apple! Apple! Apple! Apple!
Google! Google! Apple! Google! Apple! Apple! Google!
Google! Google! Apple! Apple! Google! Apple! Apple!
Google! Google! Apple! Apple! Google! Apple! Google!
Google! Google! Apple! Apple! Apple! Apple! Google!
Apple! Google! Apple! Google! Google! Google! Apple!
Undetectable.
Bah. Stupid filters don't understand my
Re: (Score:2)
That's why I encrypted it with ROT-13 before encoding. Twice, for extra security.
Then I remembered that there's some obscure vulnerability in the double-ROT-13 implementation, so I ran it through ROT-26 as well. I figure that's good enough for anybody... but just for fun, I then XOR'd it with a string of 0xFF bytes. Since XOR encryption is fairly easy to hack, I took the resulting string, converted it to binary, and ran an extra ROT-1 pass on it (modulo 2, of course... I'm not stupid), and converted the res
In Soviet Russia (Score:2, Funny)
Document leaker provides IT support for YOU!
VKontakt (Score:2)
That's my guess. :)
Good life (Score:5, Interesting)
After having lived in Russia for some 6 month cumulatively, I have this to say: Edward Snowden is going to love it.
A few reasons:
- Incredibly beautiful women
- Incredibly cool clubs and bars
- Awesome Moscow Ballet / Classical Music / Cultural Events / Arts / Museums
- McDonalds has a whole wheat bun, need I say more?
Re: (Score:2)
So, he's going to be able to get into the cool clubs, pay for the beautiful women's drinks, take them to the ballet and then to McDonald's for a whole wheat bun Big Mac on a Tech Support Technician's pay?
I don't think so... Unless tech support pays a LOT more there than it does here, only the trip to McDonald's will be happening, and I'm guessing he will be without an escort.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
After having lived in Russia for some 6 month cumulatively, I have this to say: Edward Snowden is going to love it.
A few reasons:
- Incredibly beautiful women
- Incredibly cool clubs and bars
- Awesome Moscow Ballet / Classical Music / Cultural Events / Arts / Museums
- McDonalds has a whole wheat bun, need I say more?
It drops to -560 degrees in the winter. He used to live in Hawaii.
May not have given it ... (Score:2, Offtopic)
Yahoo may not have given it, but it sure sounds like the NSA has done it anyway.
Would Google and Yahoo fess up if true? (Score:2)
If the NSA had actually tapped the fiber between Google and Yahoo's data centers and the internet without their knowledge and this actually turned out to be true after they investigated would either company actually publicly say "After an investigation we have found the NSA has been tapping our fiber without our knowledge and we are taking steps to stop this"? I think that highly unlikely and if anything even if this was true Google and Yahoo would continue to issue denials that this had ever happened or th
Re: (Score:2)
They are prohibited from telling us that they are sharing our data with the government.
They are prohibited from telling us that they are prohibited from telling us.
We cannot sue to ask, because we cannot demonstrate that our data have been shared, because we are not allowed to know or tell that our data have been shared.
And I was hoping... (Score:2)
I was hoping he was going to have to learn the Russian phrase for "Would you like fries with that comrade?" Not that tech support isn't punishment too, it just pays better.
His English is likely pretty good, so maybe phone support would be a good gig for him.
Wait a minute (Score:2)
Did he start to believe all those In Soviet Russia jokes??
You merkins. (Score:2, Insightful)
When China wiretaps and cracks US systems, it's an act of war.
When the USA wiretaps and cracks soverign states like Germany, it's "Well, they're spies! Whadayuhexpect?".
Re: (Score:3)
How you see it depends on what side of the firewall you are on.
Generally, I figure that everybody that's thinking about the social and political world is going to be involved in collecting as much information as they can. They'd be stupid not too. If there is information you don't want others to know then it is YOUR responsibility to protect your information. If somebody manages to get such information from you, it's your fault.
That the NSA monitors world leaders phone calls should come as no surprise t
Re: (Score:2)
But just one side has almost all the firewalls. Most of the world's communication infrastructure resides in the United States, across client states of the United States, or between client states of the United States in undersea cables.
The problem with the "everybody does it" canard is that not everyone has the same capability to spy.
worst IT support EVER (Score:2)
Ed - "Hello this Edward, how can I help you today."
L User - "yes Comrad, my mouse appears not to be working anymore."
Ed - " Ok" (.Clicky- clack- clack) "just let me get root access here on your PC"...
L User- "Click"
Ed - "Hello Comrad, are you still there? I seem to have lost you..."
Language & Accent training (Score:2)
He is a currently in a language & accent training class learning how to say 'This is Vladmir speaking. How may I help you?' in Russian.
In the long tradition of Philby, Oswald, MacLean (Score:3)
The USSR often gives jobs, usually non-cushy ones, to defectors. Lee Harvey Oswald got a job in a radio factory assembly line. I guess IT support is the modern equivalent.
Re: (Score:3)
"You might want to look up your history a bit"
Irony detector overload.
You might want to look up some history yourself. Mr Oswald worked in a factory after defecting to the USSR, before returning to the USA and ultimately eating those bullets.
Google is quiet (Score:2)
Google is "troubled" but I doubt they will raise a much bigger fuss than that. Why? Because they are competing for government contracts against Microsoft and other vendors for Cloud services etc. So while this deeply undermines the company, they probably won't get too loud about it until it starts to wreck their reputation too severely.
Re:Thanks to him (Score:5, Insightful)
He's just the messenger. Whether it gets safer or not is up to us now.
Re:Thanks to him (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:SNOWDEN !! DOUBLE-AGENT ?? (Score:5, Insightful)
But answer this: if he WERE a double agent, SO WHAT? Does that make the data he got wrong? No. Does it make what the documents say a good thing for the NSA to do? No.
So *even if* you're right and Snowden is a double agent, that has no bearing WHATSOEVER about the crimes the revelations have documented.
You don't get it. It is not about the data. At this moment the global attention is aimed at the NSA, and it says: "NSA = bad" and "Snowden = good". Some people just want to turn that around, and make it "Snowden = bad", and make people forget about the NSA.
It's really that simple.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Snowden did transition from a whistle blower to a spy though. He lost a lot of sympathy when he went down that road.
Re:No. He did not (Score:4, Interesting)
"Snowden did transition from a whistle blower to a spy though"
No. He did not.
He was a whistleblower and remains a whistleblower.
He did. Initially the U.S. media were supportive of him as a whistleblower. Their owners and editors then had their briefing, and suddenly actions that were pro-american whistleblowing were anti-american spying.
So yes, he didn't change, but the media's portrayal of him did, and that's what's important.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
"Snowden did transition from a whistle blower to a spy though"
No. He did not.
He was a whistleblower and remains a whistleblower.
He did. Initially the U.S. media were supportive of him as a whistleblower. Their owners and editors then had their briefing, and suddenly actions that were pro-american whistleblowing were anti-american spying.
So yes, he didn't change, but the media's portrayal of him did, and that's what's important.
Yes, the U.S. media, now there is a group that sticks up for the rights of the people over the government & corporations. And yes, I am being really fucking sarcastic when I say that. Who the fuck do you think the U.S. Media works for, and why the fuck do you think Snowden ignored them and went to the Guardian?
Re:SNOWDEN !! DOUBLE-AGENT ?? (Score:5, Funny)
NSA Operative: Our public profile is way too high, and this Snowden jerk is winning in the popularity polls. We need to discredit him, quick!
NSA Public Relations Rat: Well, we need to get people to despise Snowden and focus on him and his new antics so we can fade back into the background.
NSA Operative: OK, so who is the most despised group on earth? Terrorists? Traitors?
NSA PRR: No. No. We've been trying that for months, and we just can't get any traction with the press or public. Worse, both those arguments lead back to us and our data.
NSA Operative: How about members of Congress, or the White House?
NSA PRR: You mean get him elected? No good, do you know what a seat in Congress is going for these days? Even our black budget can't afford any more than we already have, and don't even get me started on what a White House position costs now.
NSA Operative: Hmm... pedophile rapist?
NSA PRR: Maybe you're onto something... He is in Russia after-all... Wait! I've got it. The most universally reviled, disgusting, hated group in the world!
NSA Operative: What? What!?
NSA PRR: We'll tell everyone he's....... Tech Support.
NSA Operative: You vicious bastard. Even I couldn't have some up with something so foul. I love you for it.
Re:SNOWDEN !! DOUBLE-AGENT ?? (Score:5, Insightful)
Sorry you love the Federal Government so much, but Snowden is a patriot standing up for the ideals on which the USA was founded. Deal with it.
Re: (Score:2)
I was a huge supporter of the guy when he was telling people in his country about the NSA violating it's mission statement and turning its guns on the American people. Now, when he went down the Bradley Manning path and just started dumping anything he had in his hands related to our overseas communications and surveillance (that is what the NSA is SUPPOSED to be doing), then THAT became a serious problem.
Now, I accept that people overseas are thrilled with him because it's in their interests. It is NOT i
Re: (Score:3)
Yeah, that was a bullshit talking point the first time around, too. Manning didn't "leak documents ind
Re: (Score:2)
Snowden is bad. He's the definition of traitor. If you support him, you're just an ignorant tool.
He didn't release documents describing the NSA spying on its own people. He's a traitor who released any and all documents he could get his hands on, just like Bradley Manning. The newspapers and reporters are the ones who zeroed in on the NSA spying on its own citizens and made sure you heard about it first. They actually looked for BAD things that were going on, and didn't just throw everything out there.
If Snowden only released documents about spying on Americans, then you'd have something to work with, but he did no such thing. He dumped it all, including operations information that is most certainly well within the NSAs purview. Spying on Merkel? Guess what, ITS THEIR JOB TO DO SO.
He's not a whistle blower, he's an attention whore. The reporters that went through these documents and found the information about spying on American citizens are doing the right thing. Dumping info about the NSA spying on other countries ... thats treason. If you didn't know the NSA was spying on other countries, your a moron, its their job to do just that. He never should have published ANY of that sort of shit.
Being a whistleblower is different than stealing a bunch of documents, regardless of what they say and publishing them for all to see.
Sorry you're such a fanboy of his, but he's a douche bag traitor. Deal with it.
How is that NSA job working for you? Good benefits? Kids don't respect you anymore? Your wife left you? Your dog ran away? Ya, that's what I thought.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
'Traitor' and 'whistleblower' are not contradictory concepts. Snowden committed treason to reveal illegal behavior in the NSA. I am in favor of using his information to force the NSA to follow the law, *and* in favor of putting him in jail for treason.
It's also wrong to suggest that whistleblowers should receive automatic pardons. There were ways to reveal this information without committing treason; Snowden chose not to take that route. He's a traitor *and* a hero, and ideally his actions would cause p
Re: (Score:2)
"Ah, you DO know that the NSA were not tasked with "snooping", right?
There's a reason why, for example, the CIA investigate external threats and the FBI investigate internal threats and that it is a bad thing for the CIA to be investigating internal threats EVENE THOUGH "Who would have guessed an investigation organisation would investigate, huh?"
That is because they aren't tasked with "investigate stuff". They have a remit, as do the NSA, and that they stepped outside it.
As you rightfully pointed out, the NSA snooping internally and sharing it with internal law enforcement are extraordinarily major issues - but that is where it ends. Everything else that Snowden revealed was espionage against the United States.
Foreign intelligence agencies have always spied and snooped so the rest of the world should drop their shocked outrage act.
Re:your reputation will precede you... (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm surprised he was hired in the first place. He might be talented and an asset to any organization but he's also proven himself to be a liability. He will likely never be hired anywhere anybody has something to hide ever again.
And yet he was given a job.
You know the saying, if you are doing nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide? Well, that applies to jobs he works at. If they have nothing to hide, then they have nothing to fear.
If the NSA had nothing to hide, why do they fear what Snowden leaked? Remember, they first said he didn't have access to anything and didn't have anything important. Are they still saying that? No, they went to tell the other countries that will force economic sanctions on any country helping him. Which is a lie, because they haven't done shit to Russia.
If i was a honest company, Snowden is the sort of person I'd probably like working there.
Re: (Score:2)
HTTPS on search won't help anything; the NSA surely 0wns the certificate authorities.