Whistleblower Snowden: NSA Surveillance Will Lead To “Turnkey Tyranny”

This incredibly brave young man’s story needs to be shared far and wide. 29 year old Edward Snowden, through The Guardian newspaper, went public as the NSA whistleblower yesterday. His revelations last week that the US National Security Agency’s Prism program has direct access to the systems of Google, Facebook, Apple and other internet giants is one of the biggest intelligence leaks in U.S. history. We are all under surveillance all the time, Snowden has revealed. We now know that if any one in power decides to hone in on you, they can go back in time and review all of your internet communications and use any – or all – of it against you. Here’s Snowden himself in conversation with The Guardian in Hong Kong this weekend talking frankly about his decision to put himself at risk for the public good:

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[youtube=http://youtu.be/5yB3n9fu-rM]

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Here’s The Guardian’s Glenn Greenwald discussing the NSA revelations on Democracy Now:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/UWmXNVO15AU]

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More links:

Edward Snowden: The Whistleblower Behind The NSA Surveillance Revelations

NSA Prism Program Taps Into User Data of Apple, Google, and Others

Republicans Call For NSA Whistleblower To Be Extradited

Glenn Greenwald Suggests More Revelations Are Coming

And here in Canada: Data-collection Program Got Green Light From McKay in 2011:

Defence Minister Peter MacKay approved a secret electronic eavesdropping program that scours global telephone records and Internet data trails – including those of Canadians – for patterns of suspicious activity.

Mr. MacKay signed a ministerial directive formally renewing the government’s “metadata” surveillance program on Nov. 21, 2011, according to records obtained by The Globe and Mail. The program had been placed on a lengthy hiatus, according to the documents, after a federal watchdog agency raised concerns that it could lead to warrantless surveillance of Canadians.

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*thanks to fellow climate hawk Doug G for the heads up on this story.*

3 thoughts on “Whistleblower Snowden: NSA Surveillance Will Lead To “Turnkey Tyranny””

  1. Am I wrong to be on the fence on this one? I can totally see the privacy issues, but if thousands of peoples’ safety is at stake, I’m feeling inclined to allow for some liberties….

    Naive?

    Reply
  2. You are entitled to sit on the fence, but consider what Snowden is saying – that all of this data mining is going to be sitting there for years, ready to be used by whomever happens to holds the reins of power. In the name of terror, north americans have given up many previously-cherished privacy rights. And yet what are the real threats to human health and happiness? As Jamie Oliver has said, homicide-related deaths are 0.8% of the deaths in the US, and diet-related causes are behind more than 60% of premature deaths, never mind environmental-toxin related cancer deaths. And terrorism-related deaths are miniscule compared even to the homicide rate. So is the government really looking out for us?
    I don’t believe the govt mining this info makes us any more secure, it makes us less. But even if it could be proved that it does make us slightly more secure, I’d trade some “security” for more freedom.

    Reply
  3. It is as if our phones and emails are being FRACKED! So far the NSA/Government hasn’t Mined the information. They are using filters, but it sounds like flters can be removed. Has Snowden’s revelations out a chill on activist communications?

    Reply

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