10 years since Edward Snowden leaks

[White Out 403]

It's been just over 10 years since Edward Snowden violated the Espionage Act to be the most important whistleblower of our lifetime. Have your views on him changed? Stay the same?

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...years-in-exile

[GreenLantern2814]

Russian agent.

[Street Pharmacist]

Yeah. The "beginning a Russian citizen" and loving Putin kinda seals my opinion

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Yeah. The "beginning a Russian citizen" and loving Putin kinda seals my opinion

Huh..I didnt see anywhere where it says he loves Putin.

Becoming a Russian Citizen is kind of a necessary evil seeing as it looks like he's going to be stuck there for the foreseeable future. Its one of the few places on Earth that would offer him sanctuary because they dont kowtow to the whims of America.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

A bit of a patsy, but committed a necessary evil to illustrate the extent of hidden data collection. Now at least people are aware, if not totally inept to actually do anything about it.

I wonder when we all shout loud enough to ensure some privacy again. It seems like nobody care about it at all, and that's concerning to me.

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

People care about privacy but we care about out new shiny stuff way more

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by FormerPresJamesTaylor

People care about privacy but we care about out new shiny stuff way more

For sure. Which reminds me...I have to go and pick up the new iPhone I pre-ordered.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

A bit of a patsy, but committed a necessary evil to illustrate the extent of hidden data collection. Now at least people are aware, if not totally inept to actually do anything about it.

I wonder when we all shout loud enough to ensure some privacy again. It seems like nobody care about it at all, and that's concerning to me.

I wonder what necessary evil he's doing working for an "unnamed" Russian IT company today.

[FlameOn]

Snowden is too much of an idealist and was not smart about his whistleblowing at all. The US government had an ax to grind with him for his embarrassing leaks and did everything they could to discredit both him and his message. He never intended to get stuck in Moscow and had a flight plan to flee to Latin America, but the US government purposely timed the revocation of his passport during a layover both to discredit him, and the information that he leaked.

If he was as principled and only cared about transparency, he should have surrendered and just faced prosecution at home. Instead, he chose to stay in Russia and play into Putin's propaganda.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by FlameOn

Snowden is too much of an idealist and was not smart about his whistleblowing at all. The US government had an ax to grind with him for his embarrassing leaks and did everything they could to discredit both him and his message. He never intended to get stuck in Moscow and had a flight plan to flee to Latin America, but the US government purposely timed the revocation of his passport during a layover both to discredit him, and the information that he leaked.

If he was as principled and only cared about transparency, he should have surrendered and just faced prosecution at home. Instead, he chose to stay in Russia and play into Putin's propaganda.

Uh...I dont see that. They'd have 'disappeared' him.

He was a contractor. People go 'missing' all the time. I think he operated based on his conscience and was essentially placed in a 'No Win' scenario.

[FlameOn]

Originally Posted by Locke

Uh...I dont see that. They'd have 'disappeared' him.



He was a contractor. People go 'missing' all the time. I think he operated based on his conscience and was essentially placed in a 'No Win' scenario.

I doubt he would have been 'disappeared'. US Intelligence wants to make an example of whistleblowers to prevent others from doing so, it's what happened with Manning. Huge trial, then jail time.

Doing that at least Snowden doesn't become a continuing Russia propaganda showpiece exiled indefinitely.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by FlameOn

I doubt he would have been 'disappeared'. US Intelligence wants to make an example of whistleblowers to prevent others from doing so, it's what happened with Manning. Huge trial, then jail time.

Doing that at least Snowden doesn't become a continuing Russia propaganda showpiece exiled indefinitely.

I’d probably prefer that then jail in the USA for the rest of my life.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Weitz

I’d probably prefer that then jail in the USA for the rest of my life.

Not to mention...he pissed off the US Government something fierce. He wasnt getting 'Club Fed' he was getting 'Pound you in the ass' Jail.

[Mickey76]

Always liked this.

https://youtu.be/4uxWjgrr3BA?si=2EOREDUGdjVr63vR

[calgarywinning]

His book was an excellent read. He has a wife and a child now as well.

It was amazing how much access he was granted, by his own admission, by the US government and by the CIA. Essentially at this time the hierarchy had so few technocrats, that they were playing catch up.

The revelations, the use of PRIZM, the powers of these "geeks" so to speak with these tools their superiors didn't understand and invasion of all privacy was a game changer. I was literally blown away. (This was well depicted in a few episodes of Homeland).

The story of him being alone in the secret bunker in Maui and accessing the database was chilling. Just going off memory he queried "Is there extra terrestrial life discovered" with a resounding no. "Was 9/11 an inside job" with a resounding no. "What about climate change" and it came back yes.

He's very aware in the book how he had to balance the ruination of his life and future with coming forward ethically.

[White Out 403]

I'm genuinely surprised to see some of the responses here about how he's a traitor or Russian agent, I really wonder if the folks that are saying that have taken any time to try and understand his point of view and what he accomplished? I view him as a hero and someone who literally sacrificed his entire way of life and became a ####ing Pariah so that people could understand how bad surveillance was getting in a time where we just didn't know.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Weitz

I’d probably prefer that then jail in the USA for the rest of my life.

Was gonna say, given the choice, I'd rather be a viewed as a Russian agent to some but have my freedom, than rot in a US jail for the next 30 years. He really was in a no win situation, and took the lesser of two evils.

[ResAlien]

Originally Posted by White Out 403

I'm genuinely surprised to see some of the responses here about how he's a traitor or Russian agent, I really wonder if the folks that are saying that have taken any time to try and understand his point of view and what he accomplished? I view him as a hero and someone who literally sacrificed his entire way of life and became a ####ing Pariah so that people could understand how bad surveillance was getting in a time where we just didn't know.

No one until you just now has called him a traitor. Maybe he was a magnanimous hero of the people, maybe he was an agent of another county. Hard to say. Depends on what you want to believe. I mean there was a poster here who visited North Korea and came back spouting their talking points so anything’s possible.

[Harry Lime]

I haven't really followed anything that Snowden has been up to. That said, calling him a Russian agent seems really stupid. He called out the American government, and a bunch of corporations on some extremely shady dealings against their own people. It doesn't really matter if he's a good dude or a bad dude, he was a guy that did the right thing and made a lot of very powerful enemies. He ran to somewhere that could protect him, and didn't seem like a cesspool to live in. Sure, now we know different.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Was gonna say, given the choice, I'd rather be a viewed as a Russian agent to some but have my freedom, than rot in a US jail for the next 30 years. He really was in a no win situation, and took the lesser of two evils.

I mean, okay, 'Russian Freedom' which has limits of its own, but I get your point, still better than a US Supermax or whatever the worst Hellhole they could have thrown him in is.

There was a grand total of 1 Country on Earth that would have the balls to stand up to the USA and say "You cant have him."

So...options are somewhat limited.