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Email exchange between Edward Snowden and former GOP Senator Gordon Humphrey

m.guardian.co.uk

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Re: Email exchange between Edward Snowden and former GOP Senator Gordon Humphrey

#11

Post by koa »

capnrefsmmat wrote: post #4

The most interesting part of this is the following paragraphs from Snowden: Further, no intelligence service - not even our own - has the capacity to compromise the secrets I continue to protect. While it has not been reported in the media, one of my specializations was to teach our people at DIA how to keep such information from being compromised even in the highest threat counter-intelligence environments (i.e. Chi…

I read this to mean that he has taken steps to limit the specific data he knows. So even if he has or had access to documents, he hasnt tried to memorize anything that could be damaging. Meaning they cant force him to reveal information he "doesn't know"

Re: Email exchange between Edward Snowden and former GOP Senator Gordon Humphrey

#12

Post by btipling »

untog wrote: post #5
pvnick wrote: post #3

"Further, no intelligence service - not even our own - has the capacity to compromise the secrets I continue to protect. While it has not been reported in the media, one of my specializations was to teach our people at DIA how to keep such information from being compromised even in the highest threat counter-intelligence environments (i.e. China). You may rest easy knowing I cannot be coerced into revealing that info…

To offer an opposing view: I cannot be coerced into revealing that information, even under torture. That is a huge claim. I do not imagine that his training involved being tortured to make sure. If he's wrong, there could be dire consequences for the US. You might even say his ego is writing checks his body can't cash.

I think he probably means he has a distress password that will destroy his encrypted data if he was put under duress to disclose anything. I don't believe he is saying he can withstand pain indefinitely.

Re: Email exchange between Edward Snowden and former GOP Senator Gordon Humphrey

#13

Post by btbuildem »

untog wrote: post #5
pvnick wrote: post #3

"Further, no intelligence service - not even our own - has the capacity to compromise the secrets I continue to protect. While it has not been reported in the media, one of my specializations was to teach our people at DIA how to keep such information from being compromised even in the highest threat counter-intelligence environments (i.e. China). You may rest easy knowing I cannot be coerced into revealing that info…

To offer an opposing view: I cannot be coerced into revealing that information, even under torture. That is a huge claim. I do not imagine that his training involved being tortured to make sure. If he's wrong, there could be dire consequences for the US. You might even say his ego is writing checks his body can't cash.

I think he may be hinting that he does not hold the key to the information, perhaps multiple keys are required, or the nature of the key is such that it cannot be reproduced under duress, etc etc.

Re: Email exchange between Edward Snowden and former GOP Senator Gordon Humphrey

#16

Post by mrt0mat0 »

ianterrell wrote: post #6
capnrefsmmat wrote: post #4

The most interesting part of this is the following paragraphs from Snowden: Further, no intelligence service - not even our own - has the capacity to compromise the secrets I continue to protect. While it has not been reported in the media, one of my specializations was to teach our people at DIA how to keep such information from being compromised even in the highest threat counter-intelligence environments (i.e. Chi…

> it's easy to say you can resist torture, at least until you're tortured I interpret this as it's protected in such a way that any information he can give is not sufficient to access the documents.

i interpreted it the same way. Saying, even if he was tortured, he wouldn't be able to give up access to documentation. I think it's funny that we don't even second thought about the concept of torture. It has become too common.

Re: Email exchange between Edward Snowden and former GOP Senator Gordon Humphrey

#17

Post by [deleted] »

untog wrote: post #5
pvnick wrote: post #3

"Further, no intelligence service - not even our own - has the capacity to compromise the secrets I continue to protect. While it has not been reported in the media, one of my specializations was to teach our people at DIA how to keep such information from being compromised even in the highest threat counter-intelligence environments (i.e. China). You may rest easy knowing I cannot be coerced into revealing that info…

To offer an opposing view: I cannot be coerced into revealing that information, even under torture. That is a huge claim. I do not imagine that his training involved being tortured to make sure. If he's wrong, there could be dire consequences for the US. You might even say his ego is writing checks his body can't cash.

[deleted]

Re: Email exchange between Edward Snowden and former GOP Senator Gordon Humphrey

#18

Post by peter487 »

untog wrote: post #5
pvnick wrote: post #3

"Further, no intelligence service - not even our own - has the capacity to compromise the secrets I continue to protect. While it has not been reported in the media, one of my specializations was to teach our people at DIA how to keep such information from being compromised even in the highest threat counter-intelligence environments (i.e. China). You may rest easy knowing I cannot be coerced into revealing that info…

To offer an opposing view: I cannot be coerced into revealing that information, even under torture. That is a huge claim. I do not imagine that his training involved being tortured to make sure. If he's wrong, there could be dire consequences for the US. You might even say his ego is writing checks his body can't cash.

He is probably using some encryption technique which requires multiple keys to unlock, perhaps similar to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamir%27s_Secret_Sharing

Re: Email exchange between Edward Snowden and former GOP Senator Gordon Humphrey

#19

Post by pkfrank »

ianterrell wrote: post #7
untog wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To offer an opposing view: I cannot be coerced into revealing that information, even under torture. That is a huge claim. I do not imagine that his training involved being tortured to make sure. If he's wrong, there could be dire consequences for the US. You might even say his ego is writing checks his body can't cash.

I interpret this as it's protected in such a way that any information he can give is not sufficient to access the documents. (copy pasted from my reply on another comment below)

Agreed. The specificity of his claim seems to support that, as well:

>I cannot be coerced...

vs. "won't", "would never", et. al.

Re: Email exchange between Edward Snowden and former GOP Senator Gordon Humphrey

#20

Post by marshray »

btipling wrote: post #12
untog wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To offer an opposing view: I cannot be coerced into revealing that information, even under torture. That is a huge claim. I do not imagine that his training involved being tortured to make sure. If he's wrong, there could be dire consequences for the US. You might even say his ego is writing checks his body can't cash.

I think he probably means he has a distress password that will destroy his encrypted data if he was put under duress to disclose anything. I don't believe he is saying he can withstand pain indefinitely.

Seems like anyone with a clue would have made a raw copy of the data before applying the password. Assuming the raw media is physically accessible to them, that is. Hmmm....
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