The Snowden Affair

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The Snowden Affair

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1Phlegethon99
Sep 5, 2013, 4:12 pm

The Snowden Affair

Web Resource Documents the Latest Firestorm over the National Security Agency

National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 436

Posted -- September 4, 2013

Edited by Jeffrey T. Richelson

For more information contact:
Jeffrey T. Richelson 202/994-7000 or nsarchiv@gwu.edu

Washington, D.C., September 4, 2013 -- Recent press disclosures about National Security Agency (NSA) electronic surveillance activities -- relying on documents provided by Edward Snowden -- have sparked one of the most significant controversies in the history of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Today, the nongovernmental National Security Archive at The George Washington University posts a compilation of over 125 documents -- a Web resource -- to provide context and specifics about the episode.

The Snowden leaks have generated broad public debate over issues of security, privacy, and legality inherent in the NSA's surveillance of communications by American citizens. Furthermore, news coverage has explored the story on many levels, from the previously unknown scope of the NSA's programs, to public and congressional reactions, to Snowden's personal saga, including his attempts to evade U.S. authorities and avoid extradition to the United States.

Today's posting covers the full range of these topics, featuring documents from the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and the NSA itself, among other sources. The records include:

* White House and ODNI efforts to explain, justify, and defend the programs
* Correspondence between outside critics and executive branch officials
* Fact sheets and white papers distributed (and sometimes later withdrawn) by the government
* Key laws and court decisions (both Supreme Court and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court)
* Documents on the Total Information Awareness (later Terrorist Information Awareness, or TIA) program, an earlier proposal for massive data collection
* Manuals on how to exploit the Internet for intelligence

Check out today's posting at the National Security Archive website - http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB436/

Find us on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/NSArchive

Unredacted, the Archive blog - http://nsarchive.wordpress.com/

________________________________________________________
THE NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE is an independent non-governmental research institute and library located at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The Archive collects and publishes declassified documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). A tax-exempt public charity, the Archive receives no U.S. government funding; its budget is supported by publication royalties and donations from foundations and individuals.

2LamSon
Modifié : Sep 5, 2013, 7:10 pm

For more on the NSA check out the books by James Bamford -- The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America and Body of Secrets : anatomy of the ultra-secret National Security Agency : from the Cold War through the dawn of a new century.

Mr. Bamford was interviewed on C-Span Booknote on Sept. 16, 2001.
http://www.booknotes.org/Watch/166048-1/James+Bamford.aspx

edit: screwing around with touchstones

3TLCrawford
Sep 6, 2013, 9:16 am

I think that however someone feels about Daniel Ellsberg is going to be how they feel about Snowden, Pfc. Manning, and Julian Assange. Although I do think that Assange would be more properly aligned with the New York Times.

4Rood
Juin 22, 2014, 1:26 pm


Norwegian professors believe Snowden should get the Nobel Peace Prize
Leading lawyers have signed a petition that Edward Snowden should get the Nobel Peace Prize. Right believes that such an award recipient will not fit them.

Per Christian Selmer-Anderssen Oslo, Norway AFTENPOSTEN Updated: 22.jun. 2014 7:57 (Google translated from the Norwegian)

It was Professor of Law, Terje Einarsen, who submitted the proposal to the Nobel Committee that Snowden should get the Nobel Peace Prize. Einarsen compares whistleblower Edward Snowden with the German journalist and passifisten Carl von Ossietzky, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1935 for exposing one rearmament of Germany's air force.

"Snow(dons) actions and statements have made ​​it possible for politicians, journalists and citizens around the world to think through and debate the issues of increasing global military intelligence activities in civil society more informed, specific and open. Unveiling of mass surveillance affects a number of aspects of society, and triggered partly strong reactions from very different quarters, "argues Einarsen the proposal.

After the professor sent the four pages of dense arguments in late January, a number of Norwegian lawyers expressed their support. Earlier this week wrote the Norwegian section of the International Commission of Jurists on his website that supports Einarsen's proposal and asked lawyers agreed to sign. The petition has already received a number of well-known signatures, including Professor Jan Fridthjof Bernt, a research fellow Anine Kierulf, Professor Bernt Hagtvedt and attorney Jon Wessel - Aas.

- I see Snowden case as a parallel to Ossiezky case of the interwar years. Snowden has revealed illegal actions nationally and internationally, and made it without self-interest, says law professor Jan Fridthjof Bernt at the University of Bergen. - A Prize to Snowden would be an appropriate price not only because Snowden has done something brave, good and proper, but because a more extensive public and private surveillance is becoming the biggest threat to our democracy and human dignity . We are approaching a 1,984 - society, where some of Utah, Beijing or Moscow constantly know everything we do, says Bernt.

Saturday asked the media commentator Sven Egil Omdal in his column "Fripenn" that the Nobel Committee hearing on law professors. "Make us proud, Jagland," he wrote. In the column, he is also critical of the Year Prize favorite, Pope Francis.

"The Peace Prize should not be a reward for future achievements - as in Obama's case turned out to be largely castles in the air - but for the contribution to peace and security. "writes Omdahl.

January Fridthjof Bernt agrees and adds. - To give the peace prize to Pope Francis already be perceived as an attempt to wriggle out of a difficult situation for the Nobel Committee. It will not strengthen the faith of the committee's integrity.

- According to Nobel's will (the) award is given to those who have worked best for disarmament. Have Snowden done this?

- Where are we in a broader discussion about the expansion of the Peace Prize, which has been ongoing for the past few years, after the award has gone to environmental preservation, fight for human rights and various humanitarian organizations. I believe that in today's global society is an assignment to Snowden clearly within Testament intenson. Monitoring is now a greater threat to freedom and democracy than standing armies, says Bernt.

Bernt and Omdahl get support from political science professor at NTNU and U.S. - researcher Jennifer Leigh Bailey. - It has been given too few peace awards to whistleblowers. Giving the award to Snowden's a great idea. Democracy in America is in danger, in my opinion. Former President Carter said so; The U.S. has no longer a functional democracy, says Leigh Bailey.

She does not believe that any Prize to Snowden will go beyond the relationship between Norway and the United States. - It's not like with China. But Obama must of course be disappointed. It can also be a positive thing to show the world that not only are Chinese dissidents who receive the Nobel Peace Prize, but also the U.S., says Leigh Bailey.

Fueling debate

(S)enior researcher at the Center for Transatlantic Studies, Svein Melby, think one prize will go beyond the relationship with the United States. - The official U.S. will not react, but they will surely say to his chamber that is puzzled by the award. They have a completely different understanding of the Nobel committee independence than China had said Melby. He stressed that the debate about Snowden, surveillance and monitoring is intense in the USA. - A prize to a person who shares the U.S. in two camps can fire up the debate a little more, says Melby.

MPs Bård Vegard Solhjell and Snorre Valen in SV also suggested that Snowden Peace Prize candidate. The other parties have not yet talked loudly about giving the detector a peace prize.

- Snowden is under investigation for serious offenses, and it is the U.S. which has opened an investigation. There is a rule where you have to rely on an objective judicial process, says first deputy head of the Justice Committee, Anders B. Werp (H).

Anders B. Werp mean Snowden should get the Nobel Peace Prize. He therefore believes that it will not fit to give the award to Edward Snowden. - It is still possible that he could be convicted offender who says Werp.

- Support for Snowden is apparently greater in academia than in politics. Is it because politicians have an increased understanding of monitoring? - I do not know. But we must attend to all aspects of this, and of the rule of law is that one should not forhåndsprosedere says Werp who believe that they just want to do it by giving Snowden Peace Prize.

The proposed 278 individuals and organizations for this year's prize ... is a new record. The Nobel committee does not go out with any list of nominees, but some of them have proposed names have gone out with that. So far it is known that Edward Snowden, Pope Francis, Malala Yousafzai Pakistan, the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, the gynecologist Denis Mukwege of Congo, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Russian President Vladimir Putin are among the nominees.

The Nobel Peace prize is announced in October and handed out December 10.

5Urquhart
Juin 22, 2014, 8:28 pm

Rood
Thanks very much; greatly appreciate the perspective and insight.

6TLCrawford
Juin 24, 2014, 9:37 am

"- Support for Snowden is apparently greater in academia than in politics. Is it because politicians have an increased understanding of monitoring? - I do not know." or is it because they benefit from the spying?

I am curious about the last word in this quote that did not translate. "But we must attend to all aspects of this, and of the rule of law is that one should not forhåndsprosedere" Is the idea translatable?

7dkhiggin
Juin 24, 2014, 12:59 pm

If you break it up into forhånds prosedere, it translates to pre plead. I'm guessing it has to do with innocent until proven guilty?

8Ardagor
Juin 24, 2014, 3:30 pm

If there is a Court case for some reason and one of the involved parties present their case in the media it is called "forhåndsprosedere".
They should present their case in court and not anywhere else.

9TLCrawford
Juin 30, 2014, 8:28 am

OK, Sam Sheppard, tried in the media. That makes sense.

10Rood
Août 11, 2014, 4:47 pm

No one deserves the Nobel Peace Prize more than Edward Snowden
.
SAN FRANCISCO (Aftenposten) detectors father, Daniel Ellsberg (83), believes the time has come that the Norwegian Nobel Committee resolves one of their biggest blunders.
Jan Gunnar Furuly Updated: August 11. 2014 1:27 (Note: Google Translation from the Norwegian)

The man who in 1971 leaked the so-called Pentagon papers to the New York Times and on to a dozen other American newspapers, has since been hailed as a whistleblower legend. He is shocked at how the Obama administration is now prosecuting whistleblowers and journalists.

- I know of no other person in the world right now who deserves to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize more than Edward Snowden. He has made a tremendous effort for world peace through directing public attention on how those in power in a number of countries monitoring and spying on their own people and their own allies. The documents leaked Snowden, has told us how monitoring services in all nations using today's advanced technology in a way that really puts democracy at risk, Ellsberg says in an interview with Aftenposten. - And the United States deserve special attention in this field because the nation has obviously devoted more effort and technology to this monitoring than anyone else, he adds.

Daniel Ellsberg spoke to reporters outside a courtroom in Los Angeles while his co-defendant, Anthony Russo, listens. The 7000 documents duo leaked to the press in 1971 shook Richard Nixon administration, and was the precursor to the Watergate scandal that eventually led the president to resign.

Ellsberg said he reacted with shock and disbelief when it was announced that the Peace Prize for 2009 went to Barack Obama, who was then in its first year as an American president.

This year, the Nobel Committee has a golden chance to clear itself from this great stain of Peace Prize history. They gave the prize to a person who certainly had not done anything to deserve it, he says

We met 83-year-old on a big media event in San Francisco, where he has been on the podium. talking about how bad the United States government treats whistleblowers and journalists. The tall man is still clear in both looks and voice and moves relatively effortlessly among the swarm of journalists who would like to have a word with him. But he does not hear as well as he once did.
His commitment to freedom of expression, democracy and justice, however, is just as fierce as it was in the 1970s when the controversies and lawsuits around the Pentagon papers raged at its worst. In total, he was arrested 85 times in connection with civil disobedience, and many of these arrests have come in recent years.

Obama currently carrying something that simply must be called a war against whistleblowers. This erodes our democracy and is a very bad example for other countries in the world. Some of the technological capabilities that NSA and intelligence from other lands use, and which is now revealed by Snowden, makes it virtually impossible to create genuine democracies. And this happens not just in my country, but probably in all countries, he said. f the nation's leaders, including police and intelligence, know all the details of digital communication, phone calls, faxes, video, yes, any form of communication, as well as what individuals have searched for on Google, there are few opportunities that a country can have independent leadership or a free press. Democracy rests on governments not using and abusing the technological surveillance capacity, he stressed.

Ellsberg is concerned about how the detectors today should be able to now come out with their message, without being revealed No journalist can be guaranteed for truly anonymity of sources, he said.
As Ellsberg himself was acquitted of the United States Supreme Court in 1973 for leaks in a historic and precedent-creating judgment, and thus actually helped to shorten the time the Vietnam war lasted, the recent years have been much tougher for those who bring secrets into the public eye.- We no longer have any constitutional protection of whistleblowers in the United States. Had I done the same as I did in 1971 now, I would definitely end up in jail, he said.

- The obvious risk is life in prison. If Snowden came back today, they would never locked him in place with ordinary prisoners. He would not be able to speak with reporters as other prisoners often do. He'd been put in isolation, as Chelsea Manning was ten and a half months. The waiting Snowden is an isolation cell for the rest of his life, he replies.Ellsberg also shows that the number of lawsuits against whistleblowers and journalists have been record high in recent years.

- Nixon was the first president who tried to use espionage laws of 1917 in this way, and the trial against me was the first of its kind. It took another ten years before a new case emerged. And then it took twenty more years for a third case. Obama alone has brought eight such cases the courts since he came to power, he points out. Ellsberg believes the continuous pursuit of detectors and systems of mass surveillance allows those in power dirty lies and secrets easily kept out of the public's eye.

Today's politicians and leaders run the risk of no longer having to stand trial for the wrong things they do. When no one dares to leak secrets anymore, there is less risk of exposure. The possibility of someone being held responsible, for example through impeachment, are reduced to zero.

11Urquhart
Août 11, 2014, 6:09 pm

Many thanks.

12TLCrawford
Août 12, 2014, 8:27 am

If giving a post a +1 was possible I would. Thank you Rood

13DinadansFriend
Août 12, 2014, 3:47 pm

I do think snowden was a good man, and what he did was useful. The general public has to make a decision between having a government that never does anything that the public would find unpleasant, or understanding that their government does do ugly things in order to serve either government, or big business' interest. then after that choice do we openly embrace the evil actions, or try to cover them up, with fake remorse.
I'd prefer the world where all government actions are transparent, and the principal actors in acts of evil open to criminal prosecution. " With great power comes great responsibility", and good should not require a mask when it acts.

14Africansky1
Août 12, 2014, 4:01 pm

10 Rood .. Thank you for a reflective and interesting post . My vote is to cheer Snowdon . what he did took courage and he did not reveal secrets for personal gain . He is not a traitor . the Peace Prize has so often been awarded for political purposes , and one becomes cynical about the motives of the award . And the best interpretation one can put on this is that the prize will change and influence actions and political decision making for the good of mankind . why award the Peace prize to an American President . if government cannot be open it should be truthful and processes should be transparent .

15Urquhart
Août 12, 2014, 4:23 pm

What people need to reflect on is the difference between when the govt acts to protect the security of the state on one hand and the security of nation on the other.

The current vacuuming up of all data everywhere on everyone is just totally unacceptable.

I currently do not trust the state one bit and I don't think Thomas Jefferson trusted it either.

16Phlegethon99
Août 12, 2014, 7:01 pm

The Nobel Peace Prize is totally discredited since it has been awarded to Barack Obama, the European Union, the United Nations and a row of other dubious, pompous NGOs run by either retired or voted out of office former heads of government. It is a safe bet that Snowden will not even make it onto the shortlist.

18madpoet
Sep 12, 2014, 12:34 pm

I add my vote for Snowden. A brave man who risked everything to bring out the truth about his government's spying on its own citizens. Certainly deserves the Nobel Prize as much as Obama ever did. Some Americans won't be happy, though.

19theoria
Sep 12, 2014, 12:51 pm

Snowden played the Bill Haydon role to Putin’s Karla.

20vy0123
Déc 13, 2015, 8:15 am

Watched Citizenfour on the Apple TV. The moment after he says, "fuck", in the Hong Kong hotel and some volunteer lawyers go over what is relevant in his defense referring to a law from the First World War era .On the measure of patriots where is he relative to the spy for Israel released after 30-years very recently? Should he be punished less, the same, or more than the Jewish spy? There was a newspaper story hinting at the death penalty for leaking information.

21chagonz
Déc 23, 2015, 11:00 pm

I admire his intent and raw courage in taking that fateful step. I also believe he harmed the security of the United States and that comparisons with Ellsberg miss the mark. Mr. Ellsberg released a study prepared by the Rand Corporation, for which he worked, on the history of the US involvement in Vietnam. As a historical event,it was without question a valuable and essential tool for understanding how it all happened. He then faced the music in the US, as did the NY Times for publishing it. Mr. Snowden did not stay in the US to face the music, but hopped a plane to HK thence to Moscow of all places. His courage went half way, if he felt as strongly about the release of the data as he said he was. I too saw the movie, the interview with Colbert, etc. he released real time info to the world. I won't go as far to call him a traitor, but his act was a criminal one and unless he wants to spend the rest of his life in Moscow, he will have to deal with the consequences of his decision .

22vy0123
Déc 25, 2015, 8:49 am

Is there a list of worse bad dogs that received the Presidential pardon, for example, billionaire so and so, or that Scooter guy that outed a spy and got off the hook?