8 ms·

Tell HN: Edward Snowden hasn't tweeted since Russian invasion of Ukraine started

26 points by joering2 5y ago

joering2 5y ago
Always looked at him as an anti-governmental corruption and abuse advocate... it feels weird he hasn't said a word since Russian invasion in Ukraine started...
- QuarterRoy 5y ago
  It was always a condition of him staying in Russia that he could only call out things that occurred anywhere but Russia. He has a wife and child now and in calling out the Kremlin he’d either be jailed by the Russian government or expelled by Russia and likely taken to the US for trial.
  - jimbob45 5y ago
    This People are getting jailed under highly specious circumstances in Russia. It wouldn’t surprise me if I learned he was already under some sort of precautionary light house arrest.
- car_analogy 5y ago
  Don't you think he's risked and sacrificed enough already?
- notfromhere 5y ago
  That became hard to swallow when he ended up in Russia.
- nowherebeen 5y ago
  He would literally be putting his life in danger. He isn’t putting out tweets in support. Therefore, his silence means that is his best option for the moment. You can’t expect someone to put his life on the line for you to feel justified. It’s not his country.
- rufus_foreman 5y ago
  He did say a word since the invasion started: "I'm not suspended from the ceiling above a barrel of acid by a rope that burns a little faster every time I tweet, you concern-trolling ghouls. I've just lost any confidence I had that sharing my thinking on this particular topic continues to be useful, because I called it wrong." By "called it wrong", he means this, from February 11: "So... if nobody shows up for the invasion Biden scheduled for tomorrow morning at 3AM, I'm not saying your journalistic credibility was instrumentalized as part of one of those disinformation campaigns you like to write about, but you should at least consider the possibility."
  - car_analogy 5y ago
    Even a perfectly working clock is wrong twice a year for daylight savings time :)
  - dTal 5y ago
    This comment should have been top level, it explains everything.
  - javajosh 5y ago
    This supports the theory that Putin is a) a rational actor who was b) fed bad information about Ukraine's political disposition, and so c) appeared to act irrationally. Snowden knew a, didn't know b, and then felt rebuked by c. I would tell him: it's okay, Ed, how could you have known?
quotha 5y ago
Cause he is a fraud.
- allears 5y ago
  No, he's actually real.
kosasbest 5y ago
Putting on my conspiracy robe, I would say something like he's a Russian spy, but his roots are well researched and he's the most doxxed person on the planet, so it's hard to claim he's a Russian spy. The guy seems genuine enough in my eyes, and changed the Internet forever. Like, 90% of sites are encrypted now, and he sparked a privacy revolution after the leaks. He's not a traitor, he's a hero IMHO. Others who claim he's a traitor probably think outfits like the NSA or other agencies are good or benevolent (Hint: they're not).
- _xerces_ 5y ago
  He's not a hero, he is a traitor who betrayed the trust placed in him and damaged our national security.
  - car_analogy 5y ago
    Or he's the only one who lived up to that trust, since the surveillance he exposed is unconstitutional. He owes his loyalty to the American people, and what is a better expression of their will: the constitution, or the intelligence agencies?
  - mattcwilson 5y ago
    Are you making the argument that doing the bidding of people who would corruptly misuse their power and lie about it to the American people... is a good thing?
- unmole 5y ago
  > Like, 90% of sites are encrypted now How much does that have to do with Snowden vs. Let's Encrypt.
  - kosasbest 5y ago
    It's not just the Internet traffic being encrypted, it's the proliferation of alternative services that have popped up because of the leaks (Protonmail, Tutanota etc). Many services exist now that are because of the revelations, and it's not just about HTTPS. You can very readily install many tools & utilities that thwart the NSA dragnet. Think Signal, Matrix, Cryptomator, self-hosted Nextcloud, AD-blockers like uBlock Origin etc. This guy sparked a privacy revolution.
NoPie 5y ago
What do you expect him to say? He is in Russia. If he says something against the war in Ukraine, he is being arrested because it is illegal in Russia to be against the war, you are not allowed even to call it a war. If he is arrested, in the best case he will be deported and then goes to jail in the US. In the worst case, he is put in jail in Russia next to Navalniy. If he doesn't say anything, then apparently the only thing he wants to say is things against this war. There is nothing else for him to say. Therefore his silence means that he is strongly against the war.
- mistersquid 5y ago
  > What do you expect him to say? He is in Russia. Some call acting on principle with the understanding you may be imprisoned for doing so “having the courage of one’s convictions’. Snowden evaded extradition to the United States by residing in Russia. At present, he appears to be silent regarding the current state of Russia/Ukraine relations. Courage. Convictions.
  - mrpf1ster 5y ago
    He acted on principle and conviction by whistleblowing. Look how far that got him. Easy to call for being courageous when your not the one facing life in prison.
    - mistersquid 5y ago
      > Easy to call for being courageous when your not the one facing life in prison. The ease with which one points out the courage of another’s convictions is distinct from the courage of the subject of attention.
      - DiggyJohnson 5y ago
        Yes, but it should still be accounted for in their answer. I read someone saying “Snowden isn’t courageous enough” and I think that this person does not have enough information and intimate knowledge to make such a statement. Not everybody needs to be a superhero on every issue.
timcavel 5y ago
javajosh 5y ago
In addition to what other commenters have said I would imagine Snowden is keeping a particularly low profile since he represents a significant bargaining chip for Russia with the USA. The more fraught that relationship is the more likely one or both sides will reach for all the bargaining chips they have. It's really outrageous to me that one of the few things the Democrats and Republicans can agree on is the unjust vilification of Edward Snowden. Someone who gave up an amazing life to protect and defend the American people against illegal surveillance by their own government. It should be just about as clear a hero's story as you get and yet here we are.
pasabagi 5y ago
Does anybody know why he ended up in Russia? Are there really no other countries that will not deport you to the US? I think I would probably pick Cuba, for instance, over Russia.
- isitmadeofglass 5y ago
  If the United States is after you, you don’t get to pick anything, you grab on to whatever is available and hold on for dear life.
- Drawde 5y ago
  He did pick Cuba! If I recall correctly he was flying from Hong Kong to Cuba and the US canceled his passport on the layover in Russia, stranding him there.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

26 points by joering2 5y ago

Always looked at him as an anti-governmental corruption and abuse advocate... it feels weird he hasn't said a word since Russian invasion in Ukraine started...

QuarterRoy 5y ago
It was always a condition of him staying in Russia that he could only call out things that occurred anywhere but Russia. He has a wife and child now and in calling out the Kremlin he’d either be jailed by the Russian government or expelled by Russia and likely taken to the US for trial.
- jimbob45 5y ago
  This People are getting jailed under highly specious circumstances in Russia. It wouldn’t surprise me if I learned he was already under some sort of precautionary light house arrest.
car_analogy 5y ago
Don't you think he's risked and sacrificed enough already?
notfromhere 5y ago
That became hard to swallow when he ended up in Russia.
nowherebeen 5y ago
He would literally be putting his life in danger. He isn’t putting out tweets in support. Therefore, his silence means that is his best option for the moment. You can’t expect someone to put his life on the line for you to feel justified. It’s not his country.
rufus_foreman 5y ago
He did say a word since the invasion started: "I'm not suspended from the ceiling above a barrel of acid by a rope that burns a little faster every time I tweet, you concern-trolling ghouls. I've just lost any confidence I had that sharing my thinking on this particular topic continues to be useful, because I called it wrong." By "called it wrong", he means this, from February 11: "So... if nobody shows up for the invasion Biden scheduled for tomorrow morning at 3AM, I'm not saying your journalistic credibility was instrumentalized as part of one of those disinformation campaigns you like to write about, but you should at least consider the possibility."
- car_analogy 5y ago
  Even a perfectly working clock is wrong twice a year for daylight savings time :)
- dTal 5y ago
  This comment should have been top level, it explains everything.
- javajosh 5y ago
  This supports the theory that Putin is a) a rational actor who was b) fed bad information about Ukraine's political disposition, and so c) appeared to act irrationally. Snowden knew a, didn't know b, and then felt rebuked by c. I would tell him: it's okay, Ed, how could you have known?

quotha 5y ago

Cause he is a fraud.

allears 5y ago
No, he's actually real.

kosasbest 5y ago

Putting on my conspiracy robe, I would say something like he's a Russian spy, but his roots are well researched and he's the most doxxed person on the planet, so it's hard to claim he's a Russian spy. The guy seems genuine enough in my eyes, and changed the Internet forever. Like, 90% of sites are encrypted now, and he sparked a privacy revolution after the leaks. He's not a traitor, he's a hero IMHO. Others who claim he's a traitor probably think outfits like the NSA or other agencies are good or benevolent (Hint: they're not).

_xerces_ 5y ago
He's not a hero, he is a traitor who betrayed the trust placed in him and damaged our national security.
- car_analogy 5y ago
  Or he's the only one who lived up to that trust, since the surveillance he exposed is unconstitutional. He owes his loyalty to the American people, and what is a better expression of their will: the constitution, or the intelligence agencies?
- mattcwilson 5y ago
  Are you making the argument that doing the bidding of people who would corruptly misuse their power and lie about it to the American people... is a good thing?
unmole 5y ago
> Like, 90% of sites are encrypted now How much does that have to do with Snowden vs. Let's Encrypt.
- kosasbest 5y ago
  It's not just the Internet traffic being encrypted, it's the proliferation of alternative services that have popped up because of the leaks (Protonmail, Tutanota etc). Many services exist now that are because of the revelations, and it's not just about HTTPS. You can very readily install many tools & utilities that thwart the NSA dragnet. Think Signal, Matrix, Cryptomator, self-hosted Nextcloud, AD-blockers like uBlock Origin etc. This guy sparked a privacy revolution.

NoPie 5y ago

What do you expect him to say? He is in Russia. If he says something against the war in Ukraine, he is being arrested because it is illegal in Russia to be against the war, you are not allowed even to call it a war. If he is arrested, in the best case he will be deported and then goes to jail in the US. In the worst case, he is put in jail in Russia next to Navalniy. If he doesn't say anything, then apparently the only thing he wants to say is things against this war. There is nothing else for him to say. Therefore his silence means that he is strongly against the war.

mistersquid 5y ago
> What do you expect him to say? He is in Russia. Some call acting on principle with the understanding you may be imprisoned for doing so “having the courage of one’s convictions’. Snowden evaded extradition to the United States by residing in Russia. At present, he appears to be silent regarding the current state of Russia/Ukraine relations. Courage. Convictions.
- mrpf1ster 5y ago
  He acted on principle and conviction by whistleblowing. Look how far that got him. Easy to call for being courageous when your not the one facing life in prison.
  - mistersquid 5y ago
    > Easy to call for being courageous when your not the one facing life in prison. The ease with which one points out the courage of another’s convictions is distinct from the courage of the subject of attention.
    - DiggyJohnson 5y ago
      Yes, but it should still be accounted for in their answer. I read someone saying “Snowden isn’t courageous enough” and I think that this person does not have enough information and intimate knowledge to make such a statement. Not everybody needs to be a superhero on every issue.

timcavel 5y ago

javajosh 5y ago

In addition to what other commenters have said I would imagine Snowden is keeping a particularly low profile since he represents a significant bargaining chip for Russia with the USA. The more fraught that relationship is the more likely one or both sides will reach for all the bargaining chips they have. It's really outrageous to me that one of the few things the Democrats and Republicans can agree on is the unjust vilification of Edward Snowden. Someone who gave up an amazing life to protect and defend the American people against illegal surveillance by their own government. It should be just about as clear a hero's story as you get and yet here we are.

pasabagi 5y ago

Does anybody know why he ended up in Russia? Are there really no other countries that will not deport you to the US? I think I would probably pick Cuba, for instance, over Russia.

isitmadeofglass 5y ago
If the United States is after you, you don’t get to pick anything, you grab on to whatever is available and hold on for dear life.
Drawde 5y ago
He did pick Cuba! If I recall correctly he was flying from Hong Kong to Cuba and the US canceled his passport on the layover in Russia, stranding him there.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]