Wednesday, August 13, 2014

More NSA Revelations From Edward Snowden

The Most Wanted Man In The World -- Wired

The message arrives on my “clean machine,” a MacBook Air loaded only with a sophisticated encryption package. “Change in plans,” my contact says. “Be in the lobby of the Hotel ______ by 1 pm. Bring a book and wait for ES to find you.” ¶ ES is Edward Snowden, the most wanted man in the world. For almost nine months, I have been trying to set up an interview with him—traveling to Berlin, Rio de Janeiro twice, and New York multiple times to talk with the handful of his confidants who can arrange a meeting. Among other things, I want to answer a burning question: What drove Snowden to leak hundreds of thousands of top-secret documents, revelations that have laid bare the vast scope of the government’s domestic surveillance programs? In May I received an email from his lawyer, ACLU attorney Ben Wizner, confirming that Snowden would meet me in Moscow and let me hang out and chat with him for what turned out to be three solid days over several weeks. It is the most time that any journalist has been allowed to spend with him since he arrived in Russia in June 2013. But the finer details of the rendezvous remain shrouded in mystery. I landed in Moscow without knowing precisely where or when Snowden and I would actually meet. Now, at last, the details are set.

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More News On The NSA's 'Nonstermind' Program

Snowden unmasks ‘MonsterMind’ -- The Hill
The NSA has a secret program that automatically hacks back against enemy targets, says Snowden -- Washington Post
NSA's 'MonsterMind' Could Automate Cyberwar -- US News and World Report
Snowden: The NSA's building Skynet to fight wars online -- Edgadget
NSA bot MonsterMind can wage cyberwar on its own – Snowden -- RT
NSA planned automated cyberwarfare program -- AP
NSA cyberwarfare could pick the wrong targets, Snowden says -- FOX News
NSA's Cyberwarfare Program Could Start Wars, Wired Says -- Newsweek

More News On The NSA Causing The 2012 Syrian Internet Blackout

Snowden: The NSA Accidentally Turned Off Syria's Internet -- Gizmodo
Snowden: NSA, Not Assad Regime, to Blame for Two-Day Syrian Internet Outage -- Slate
Flubbed NSA Hack Caused Massive 2012 Syrian Internet Blackout, Snowden Says -- IBTimes
Snowden Says the NSA Shut Down Syria’s Internet -- Defense One/National Journal
Snowden: U.S. Made Syria Lose Its Entire Internet Connection -- Vanity failr
Snowden: NSA accidentally caused Syria’s Internet blackout while trying to install malware -- Venture Beat

General News On Edward Snowden

Highlights From Edward Snowden’s Wired Interview -- WSJ
Edward Snowden left behind clues so the NSA would understand his motives -- Endgadget
Snowden: I Left the NSA Clues, But They Couldn’t Find Them -- Threat Level/Wired
Snowden Certain US Secret Services Spy on Him in Russia – Reports -- RIA Novosti
Snowden casts doubt on NSA investigation into security disclosures -- The Guardian
Edward Snowden: The Worst NSA Secrets Have Not Been Revealed -- Game Politics
Snowden and supporters fear Americans will lose interest from ‘NSA fatigue’ -- NPR
Edward Snowden a 'uniquely postmodern breed of whistle-blower -- CNet
Snowden explains decision to leak secrets -- ZDNet
Edward Snowden, The WIRED Cover: Most wanted man in the world -- Boing Boing
Does this photo tell us what Edward Snowden stands for? -- Jacob Axelrad, CSM

8 comments:

James said...

There is so much worth commenting on in this article that I must reread it to get everything straight. One impression is that it checks off a lot of lists (ideological, supposedly inside intel stuff, etc) almost in a rote fashion. Again, more later, must earn the daily shekel.

War News Updates Editor said...

Earning the daily shekel .... do I know that feeling.

James said...

Ok, I've got time for some brief impressions. How did Snowden get in and rise so fast in intelligence? If his account is true then the clearance system is broken or the people who cleared him should be investigated or fired at the least. My impression there is someone else inside, who's been there for awhile and set this up and facilitated Snowden's "career". There are way too many coincidences of serendipic nature. His ethical "evolution" narrative is chock full of standard liberal/libertarian complaints that seem to discredit the entire US system.
Finally, no sovereign country shelters a Snowden out of the goodness of it's heart.

War News Updates Editor said...

I agree James. Someone had to mentor him in. No one rises that quickly and at that age with that type of access unless there is back-up. It is that reason .... or the entire U.S. intelligence clearance system has completely broken down.

As for Russia sheltering Snowden .... in the beginning there was a debate within Moscow on whether Russia should keep him or let him go to Latin America (Many at the time preferred that he went). But when it became impossible for him to leave and with U.S. - Russian relations going into the toilet .... this debate became moot.

James said...

If someone has an agent inside who facilitated Snowden's rise I doubt very seriously Snowden would know their identity or even their existence.

James said...

In the Moscow debate I would love to know the reasoning behind each side on whether to keep or let go, but I'm afraid that's for another day.

War News Updates Editor said...

It has to be a friend who wanted to give him a hand .... not knowing what his true motivations were. At least that is my gut feeling.

War News Updates Editor said...

At the time there was a group in Moscow that believed in more cooperation with Washington .... especially on arms control. Keeping Snowden while the U.S. wanting him was too hot of a potato to have him staying in Russia .... hence Snowden's one month of living in limbo in an airport. But U.S. demands became orders .... and that arrogance was just too much for Putin's people.