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I think it bears repeating again, as we see yet another major disclosure about NSA programs throughout the world: the NSA has been hacked by someone who is deli

I think it bears repeating again, as we see yet another major disclosure about NSA programs throughout the world: the NSA has been hacked by someone who is deliberately leaking these documents in some super-Risk game of international espionage. Given that Obama and the President of China are meeting this weekend, my money is on China being the ultimate culprit.

detcader 13y ago
"hacked"? It could easily be someone(s) with legitimate access to these documents, couldn't it? International espionage in what way? The leaker(s) could have just sold this information to foreign governments, but they went to Greenwald, a civil liberties advocate and writer working for an American sub-outlet of a British news org.
- guimarin 13y ago
  Alright, I'll grant that it may not be a hack. My point is the quality of the leaks and the timing is too good for it not to have some more serious motivation than what appeared to me to be another instance of the NSA 'Trailblazer/ThinThread', etc ongoing whistle-blowing.
  - detcader 13y ago
    If you read Greenwald's writing regularly, you know that this is exactly the kind of information about the kind of programs that Glenn has been imagining to exist, for many many years, during both administrations. The timing comes from at least a month of planning; Greenwald has hinted at a "big project" for a while now. The daily releases are just Glenn's style, and it's certainly gaining the attention he, as a civil liberties advocate for years now and a former constitutional lawyer, feels is needed for our democracy to continue.
fiatmoney 13y ago
One of the journalist involved has stated that the leaker is a US government employee in the intelligence sector. Granted they could have been deceived as well, but I think that's far less likely.
room271 13y ago
This is of course possible. But it is also possible that a conscientious US citizen has decided to leak. Bradley Mannings do exist in this world.
BrentRitterbeck 13y ago
There are numerous groups that may have leaked this. For instance, it could very well be that the NSA itself put this material out there. Consider the following. Perhaps the NSA has the exact capabilities that many people are now complaining against, specifically the direct access stuff. They "leak" a document about this as most people suspect they do anyways. The media publishes these documents. People get worried. New technologies bubble to the surface in response to this. The NSA observes those new technologies. Now, they didn't have to hunt down the tools used to hide data from them. They've cleverly "forced" those tools out into the open. It's a lot easier to spy on people when you know what tools are being used to keep you from spying on people.

detcader 13y ago

"hacked"? It could easily be someone(s) with legitimate access to these documents, couldn't it? International espionage in what way? The leaker(s) could have just sold this information to foreign governments, but they went to Greenwald, a civil liberties advocate and writer working for an American sub-outlet of a British news org.

guimarin 13y ago
Alright, I'll grant that it may not be a hack. My point is the quality of the leaks and the timing is too good for it not to have some more serious motivation than what appeared to me to be another instance of the NSA 'Trailblazer/ThinThread', etc ongoing whistle-blowing.
- detcader 13y ago
  If you read Greenwald's writing regularly, you know that this is exactly the kind of information about the kind of programs that Glenn has been imagining to exist, for many many years, during both administrations. The timing comes from at least a month of planning; Greenwald has hinted at a "big project" for a while now. The daily releases are just Glenn's style, and it's certainly gaining the attention he, as a civil liberties advocate for years now and a former constitutional lawyer, feels is needed for our democracy to continue.

fiatmoney 13y ago

One of the journalist involved has stated that the leaker is a US government employee in the intelligence sector. Granted they could have been deceived as well, but I think that's far less likely.

room271 13y ago

This is of course possible. But it is also possible that a conscientious US citizen has decided to leak. Bradley Mannings do exist in this world.

BrentRitterbeck 13y ago

There are numerous groups that may have leaked this. For instance, it could very well be that the NSA itself put this material out there. Consider the following. Perhaps the NSA has the exact capabilities that many people are now complaining against, specifically the direct access stuff. They "leak" a document about this as most people suspect they do anyways. The media publishes these documents. People get worried. New technologies bubble to the surface in response to this. The NSA observes those new technologies. Now, they didn't have to hunt down the tools used to hide data from them. They've cleverly "forced" those tools out into the open. It's a lot easier to spy on people when you know what tools are being used to keep you from spying on people.