Snowden Started Spying While Working at Dell
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(AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)
Edward Snowden isn’t a whistle blower, he’s a traitor who should be blindfolded, given a last cigarette and shot. It seems that his efforts to harm the United States and jeopardize the security of its citizens began much sooner than was originally thought:
(Newser) Looks like Edward Snowden began snooping around the NSA long before he started work at Booz Allen Hamilton: He began downloading related records in April of last year while working at Dell, insiders tell Reuters. That’s almost a year earlier than had been reported, Reuters notes. An electronic footprint shows when Snowden got his hands on the information. The documents included information on NSA and British surveillance programs.
Snowden, currently living in Russia under the protection of the country’s former KGB leader, Vladimir Putin, intends to not only harm the United States, but also its greatest ally, Great Britain.
Snowden accessed records regarding the NSA’s surveillance of fiber-optic cables packed with internet traffic, some of them stretching across oceans. Dell is keeping quiet following a customer request—probably from the NSA, Reuters notes—not to comment on Snowden. The leaker’s efforts at Dell may further pressure the US to crack down on information security, Reuters points out.
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Look. Far be it from me to disagree with anyone – I’d better re-phrase – far be it from me to say anything vaguely controversial.
Oh shut up and get on with it Norman. ok.
Frankly, I couldn’t give a monkey’s about Snowden. I neither know nor care whether he did or didn’t give out vital information.
If he was allowed access or found access then it is the fault of the security services and nobody else – including Snowden.
Snowden is merely one of many hundreds or, possibly, thousands of people who would do what he did.
He is no more a traitor than I’m a Martian.
He may be a ‘thief’ as Jim says but a ‘traitor’?
Don’t be silly.
He did what he did because of his moral stance or his desire for money.
Either way if America’s security protocols are so bad he could do what he did then forget calling him names and sort out the abysmal security currently in place.
Hang him if you will – but buy more rope as there’ll be many more if your security isn’t sorted so, actually, he’s no longer relevant.
Dammit Norman, there you go again; posting rational statements with facts. Will you never tire of sowing discontent and quarrelsome content?
Maybe that’s why you’re my kind of human?
Seriously, I doubt he did it for money. Has anyone paid him anything? Enough money to make up for what he lost in NSA salary and bennies?
That’s not mentioning being a hunted man forever. The desire for vengeance of the American government knows no time limits or national boundaries.
oops..soz old bean…I’ll stop doing that – er – whatever it is I’m doing ;-0
[…] by Devon Lee Cane2+3 on August 16, 2013. Filed under […]
James, most of the time we agree on things but on this I must disagree. Are Russia and China our sworn enemies, well perhaps not in a declared sense. I would not say that “we will be taking warm showers in the wee hours of the morning either.” (Clint Eastwood) Either of these countries would loved to harm us financially, militarily, or any other way they could if they could do it with leaving their fingerprints all over it. Right now their are three big dogs in this yard we call the world. We are the biggest and baddest, and China is next primarily based on their economy. Russia is right their with China because of what is left of their military and of course their nukes. So, as much as we make nice on the surface you can rest assured that no one in the defense department considers either of them anything less than a threat. At a minimum they are very potential enemies.
As for Snowden, he violated an oath he had taken and stole property that wasn’t his to take. He turned over top secret information that he swore to protect and guard. Regardless of how you put it he is a criminal. He exposed this top secret material to enemies even if it was just some terrorist. But, let’s just say, for your argument, that we don’t have any enemies, he is still a thief and he did violate the secrets act. He did not have to take anything to become a “whistle blower”. He could have gone to a congressman with the information he knew about and gotten an investigation started.
Yes, we do agree on most things and I appreciate that. But, as I was told long ago, “Whenever two people always agree, one of them is unnecessary.”
By your reasoning, if I were your sworn “friend for life” and I found you had committed a heinous crime, I would be a traitor to our friendship if I reported it.
In point of fact, China could do great economic harm to the USA simply by calling in the debt they own. So could Japan and other countries, too. But for any of them, they would be doing great harm to themselves as the collapse of the US economy will deprive them of their #1 trading partner.
Like it or not, Russia and China are becoming more like the USA and the USA is becoming more like them as I predicted even before 9/11.
Your arguments are emotional and ignore the fact that the NSA was violating the US Constitution and breaking many laws that have been in place long before the NSA. When any part of a government starts to consider itself above the law, you no longer have a government “of the people, by the people” but a totalitarian regime.
Whenever someone tells you they are doing something “for your own good,” you can be certain that you won’t like it. Furthermore, they will expect you to pay for it. If they’re “protecting your morals,” you’ll have to pay double.
James, you are most likely right on most of your points here, however there is still one thing that I claim to be right on. There are a few acts that are so wrong they are considered “natural laws”, mala en se, or bad in themselves. They were considered wrong before there were governments to pass laws. These were things like murder, rape, and theft. Take out all f the secrecy, and government BS and Snowden is still a thief. In some primitive societies, such as the one studied by Malinowski in the 1920’s, theft was considered more serious than murder and was the only behavior in that society that called for banishment. (They did not have a death penalty)
How is he a thief? Te government still has 100% of that information that they obtained illegally. Are you thinking that, if I take something illegally from you and someone else takes it away from me, they are a thief?
In a word: traitor!
Again, an epithet with no facts. “What is asserted without proof may be dismissed without proof.”
Those who believe for one minute that Russia and China are friends to America, simply because we’re trading partners, should think again. Both are potential enemies of the United States, due to ideological differences primarily but also due to American military superiority with regard to weapons of mass destruction, and etc.
It also goes without saying that al Qaeda and any number of other terrorist organizations with the will to kill US citizens are an enemy. Therefore to say Snowden didn’t aid or abet the enemy would be rather naive.
When Edward Snowden set out to reveal government secrets, in violation of his oath, he meant to harm us I suspect, or, as the author stated were his motives purely altruistic then he would have stayed in his country to defend his actions, as opposed to running away like a fugitive.
I agree with Devon Cane. Edward Snowden has jeopardized the security of the nation and he should be called to justice for his efforts, and that call should be by all means necessary.
You are the only one naming China and Russia as enemies. Again, I ask, how has he aided them, Al Queda, or anyone else. The only thing he has damaged is the American people’s trust in its government. You have an opinion to which you are entitled, but it would lend you more credibility if you could support it with facts.
I can’t say I agree with Lyndon entirely, but we do agree on portions of his claim.
Agreement: I have considerable frustrating experience with grassroots education efforts. MANY people can be spoon-fed vital info and never absorb it…or miss it entirely. Most people don’t pay attention. This translates to al Qaeda in that it’s volunteers and conscripts are trained via grassroots methods, and while some are highly motivated and professional, many are undisciplined louts–kind of like gang members in the OC. And so it’s more than likely that many do NOT get the message to stay the hell off their cell phones, iPads and laptops when communication strategic info. Many don’t get the message that all their non-cash transactions are readily traced.
In other words, there are MANY insurgents who are also dopes. What grassroots education efforts fail to accomplish, a worldwide media frenzy on NSA eavesdropping may well achieve. al Qaeda’s training videos on You Tube may not successfully deliver the message, but CNN, al Jazeera, BBC and others will convey that message. No doubt, MANY previously tech-careless insurgents will now embrace better tech discipline. Don’t leave an e-trail of your activities that the CIA, NSA, FBI and cops everywhere can easily follow.
Disagreement: Those who think the Russians, Chinese, and Israelis for that matter, don’t already know everything Snowden revealed must never have watched a James Bond movie. The Chinese, for example, are making a sport of hacking our most secure computer networks. Israeli spying on the US is rampant. Do we really think the “Ruskies” forgot everything the KGB knew? Reality check required.
Furthermore, WE ALL KNEW THIS STUFF, dating back BEFORE the Koch-sponsored PBS Frontline special on the Bush Admin and ATT conspiring to install a “splitter” in the whole of internet traffic and route the signal to a locked NSA/CIA room in an ATT building…about a decade ago. Was no-one paying attention?
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages//frontline/homefront/view/
So…for sure Snowden helped the amateurs. And just as certainly, what Snowden shared with the pros is yesterday’s news. If Snowden actually “aided and abetted” the Russians and Chinese, shame on the Russians and Chinese. In that case, they need new spies.
Moral of the story? Don’t let nationalism and media frenzy distort the underlying facts. Snowden’s reckless actions did tip off our thug-level enemies. Meanwhile, the serious spies knew this stuff long before Snowden did.
Snowden gay? What justice that would be.
I am appalled by Russia’s crushing repression of gays, but I must confess that I had an evil thought last evening as I watched the news. Wouldn’t it be poetic if Snowden is gay?
Evil indeed, but I couldn’t help myself. 🙂
Gay? That would b the irony of the century! ROFLMAO!
Mr. Smith I find myself almost always agreeing with you, or Triple A as I like to call it, but in this case I agree with Mr. Cane. Edward Snowden revealed government secrets and then fled the country. Were he a true “patriot” and whistleblower he would have stood his ground and defended his actions. He gave “aid and comfort” to all of America’s enemies, including al Qaeda, by revealing the existence of a program designed to help learn their plans.
Still, the questions are not answered. What “enemies” have been aided? Are China and RUssia (both major trading partners) are regarded as enemies, or the traitor appellation is a lie.
What American has had his security compromised? Oh, the NSA has had their secrets compromised. They didn’t want the American public to now what they were doing to them?
When questions are ignored, it is often because either the answers will destroy the statements or the answers are not known.
As you, I and Snowden all know, if he had “stood his ground” he would never see the light of day again. The concept of justice when you have pissed off the government is ludicrous.
Exactly how is Snowden a “traitor?” WHat enemy did he give “aid and comfort” to?
How has he jeopardized the security of American citizens? By revealing that we have no security fro the intrusive and illegal spying activities of the NSA?
I’s easy to make accusations containing stress words such as “traitor” when you do not intend to prove your assertions. Shame on you.