Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance

guardian.co.uk

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 304 posts

Re: Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance

#91

Post by miles »

mindcrime wrote: post #22
spodek wrote: post #9

" Once he reached the conclusion that the NSA's surveillance net would soon be irrevocable, he said it was just a matter of time before he chose to act. "What they're doing" poses "an existential threat to democracy", he said. " Thoughtful people brave enough to blow whistles seem to be the greatest check on what looks like a secret, unaccountable, illegal centralization of power based on lies from the top of the gov…

By the way, I don't know about anybody else, but for the first time I can think of, I'm seriously concerned about the consequences of posting support for somebody like this online. I don't know how things will play out years down the road and who will do what with this information. I don't know about you, but that's a chance I'm willing to take. As far as I'm concerned, Edward Snowden is an American hero and deserves…

"To any NSA / CIA / FBI / etc. spooks who are reading this - blow me."

It is easy to feel anger towards those we perceive as oppressors, but if this nascent movement (I hope it is a movement!) is to have any success, thoughts like these from Gandhi should not be forgotten:

Real noncooperation is noncooperation with evil and not with the evil doer.

Noncooperation is not a hymn of hate.

My noncooperation is with methods and systems, never with men.

Re: Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance

#92

Post by dnautics »

riggins wrote: post #70
spodek wrote: post #9

" Once he reached the conclusion that the NSA's surveillance net would soon be irrevocable, he said it was just a matter of time before he chose to act. "What they're doing" poses "an existential threat to democracy", he said. " Thoughtful people brave enough to blow whistles seem to be the greatest check on what looks like a secret, unaccountable, illegal centralization of power based on lies from the top of the gov…

By the way, I don't know about anybody else, but for the first time I can think of, I'm seriously concerned about the consequences of posting support for somebody like this online. I don't know how things will play out years down the road and who will do what with this information this is exactly what's so scary. people have to think about posting on Hacker News.

there is also a network effect. The more people post support, the less likely that anyone posting support will get in trouble, AND the less likely it is that Snowden will wind up in trouble.

Re: Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance

#93

Post by khuey »

brown9-2 wrote: post #74
pdknsk wrote: post #23

How likely is it he really is in HK, and not in some remote village in Thailand? I'd prefer the latter, but tell the former. If he actually is in HK, China might even offer him asylum and twist this in a huge propaganda victory.

If he is actually in HK, he might be more of an inexperienced and naive idealist than anything else. Traveling to a territory with US extradition treaty and under Chinese control seems very unwise.

Actually it's probably not a bad move. China is one of the few countries in the world that would conceivably refuse to extradite him and protect him from retaliation.

I think it's telling that Hong Kong is not in any way, shape, or form on the way from Hawaii to Iceland.

Re: Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance

#94

Post by cromwellian »

joanojr wrote: post #87
cromwellian wrote: post #81

Seriously, Edward Snowden, China was your first choice to hide from the NSA? Holy shit that was a bad choice for many reasons. I can't think of a worse place to go, other than Russia or Iran with respect to the intense desire of those nations to extract as many secrets about NSA capabilities as possible. These are the most secret of the secret capabilities of US intelligence. He even boasted that he knows many more s…

If he is in Beijing, I agree. Hong Hong is quite it's own place.

If the CIA can snatch and grab people from Italy, I'm pretty sure Chinese intelligence agencies can snatch people from Hong Kong hotels living under their own name.

Re: Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance

#95

Post by crapshoot101 »

All things aside, the naivety to think that China (and yes, I recognize Hong Kong is not exactly China, but it is damn well under the jurisdiction of the PRC) is where free speech is going to be defended? That's a guy who sounds like he will be a propaganda coup for someone.

Re: Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance

#96

Post by dude3 »

joanojr wrote: post #87
cromwellian wrote: post #81

Seriously, Edward Snowden, China was your first choice to hide from the NSA? Holy shit that was a bad choice for many reasons. I can't think of a worse place to go, other than Russia or Iran with respect to the intense desire of those nations to extract as many secrets about NSA capabilities as possible. These are the most secret of the secret capabilities of US intelligence. He even boasted that he knows many more s…

If he is in Beijing, I agree. Hong Hong is quite it's own place.

They'll come get him in Hong Kong. I meant the Chinese.

Re: Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance

#97

Post by bsaul »

I've stated in a previous comment on HN that i found it very curious to see that the thing blew up right when China's president visited the US to talk about cyber espionnage.

And now the guy says he's in asylum in Honk-Kong, and the reason he gives is that it's because they respect free spech and political dissidents (pretty much like the rest of China i suppose) !! ???????

What kind of a joke is this ??

Re: Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance

#98

Post by rhizome »

tome wrote: post #56
jamesaguilar wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's almost certain the guy will have some problems not long in the future. One question that comes to mind is how a supposed intelligence organization allowed someone who subscribes to EFF thinking even come to know about this surveillance. Shouldn't the NSA be doing some kind of screening to make sure the people they hire don't have ideals diametrically opposed to their practices?

It's weird. On the one hand he makes them sound all-knowing. On the other hand they sound completely incompetent.

He makes the point that a chief purpose is, to repurpose a previously-ridiculous term, "backtracing." They are all-having, but that says nothing about what they currently know, which, as the existence of surveillance practices in recent history shows, didn't help with respect to e.g. the Boston Marathon bombers.

Re: Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance

#99

Post by swombat »

dylangs1030 wrote: post #52
spodek wrote: post #9

" Once he reached the conclusion that the NSA's surveillance net would soon be irrevocable, he said it was just a matter of time before he chose to act. "What they're doing" poses "an existential threat to democracy", he said. " Thoughtful people brave enough to blow whistles seem to be the greatest check on what looks like a secret, unaccountable, illegal centralization of power based on lies from the top of the gov…

Even the smallest men can cast great shadows. The last paragraph of your comment expresses a fear that is rational, but one that we need to abandon as a community. If we are afraid to even post support for a controversial cause on the internet, then we are already lost. We do not all need to be whistleblowers. We can champion liberty and freedom of privacy in our own ways. The first step is being brave enough to stan…

The last paragraph of your comment expresses a fear that is rational, but one that we need to abandon as a community. If we are afraid to even post support for a controversial cause on the internet, then we are already lost.

My father (who grew up in Communist Romania) has been warning me about all the stuff I post online for over a decade now... and the reason I keep doing it is precisely that.

Re: Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance

#100

Post by mortehu »

acqq wrote: post #83
mortehu wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When will we finally get to the bottom of what PRISM actually is? Is there any particular reason why you don't believe the fact sheet from the Director of National Intelligence[1] or Marc Ambinder[2]? According to these sources (selected excerpts): > PRISM is not an undisclosed collection or data mining program. > PRISM is a kick-ass GUI that allows an analyst to look at, collate, monitor, and cross-check different…

...and the FISA Court makes the blanket orders allowing the security organizations to have billions of collections in the U.S, see the output of the program made by NSA: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/08/nsa-boundless-in... It is all "legal" in a sense that there are court orders, but there are no real checks as the orders are blanket ones. Moreover, to read your mail older than 180 days from any provider a…

Are you sure you're not conflating various types of SIGINTs here? We're discussing PRISM specifically. The article you linked does not even mention PRISM.
Post reply on HN