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Seriously, Edward Snowden, China was your first choice to hide from the NSA? Holy shit that was a bad choice for many reasons. I can't think of a worse place t
by cromwellian 13y ago
Seriously, Edward Snowden, China was your first choice to hide from the NSA?
Holy shit that was a bad choice for many reasons. I can't think of a worse place to go, other than Russia or Iran with respect to the intense desire of those nations to extract as many secrets about NSA capabilities as possible. These are the most secret of the secret capabilities of US intelligence. He even boasted that he knows many more secrets that he himself took care to censor unlike Bradley Manning. I think China will be very interested in hearing those redacted snippets.
Secondly, if he ends up revealing sensitive information to these countries, any sympathy from the US population will turn into calls for frying him as a traitor. Going to China makes him into a Rosenberg.
This guy doesn't seem very smart at all. And using pillow cases and shields over screens to stop the NSA? You're telling me this guy doesn't know what TEMPEST is? Didn't he see Gene Hackman in Enemy of the State? You need a Faraday Cage.
- joanojr 13y agoIf he is in Beijing, I agree. Hong Hong is quite it's own place.
- cromwellian 13y agoIf the CIA can snatch and grab people from Italy, I'm pretty sure Chinese intelligence agencies can snatch people from Hong Kong hotels living under their own name.
- dude3 13y agoThey'll come get him in Hong Kong. I meant the Chinese.
- varjag 13y agoHis public disclosure makes that exceedingly unlikely. At this point, China would rather let Obama reap the shitstorm alone.
- cromwellian 13y agoWhat China could hope to get in intelligence far outweighs PR. They laugh through PR controversies. China has been engaged in massive cyber espionage themselves. Everyone knows it, but no one can prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt, so they keep denying it, and nothing of consequence happens. They could whisk Snowden off to a secret interrogation site, and then blame the CIA and say the US government snatched him. Who is the media going to believe and who can prove otherwise?
- room271 13y agoExactly, China doing nothing is a free PR win for them because they look tolerant while the US is clearly attempting to close down discussion. I think he made one of the best choices he could but, as he says, he can't ensure his own safety anywhere really.
- weavejester 13y agoIt seems a reasonable choice to me. It's a technologically developed country which is unlikely to extradite him to the United States. His previous position at the NSA makes it unlikely he's stupid, and without knowing his reasoning for his choice, one might at least give him the benefit of the doubt.
- rhizome 13y agoHe covers both of your concerns in the interview.
- malandrew 13y agoI'm surprised he didn't go directly to Iceland, since that is his ultimate destination, it's neutral and it's possible that the government there would have offered him some safety.
- Helianthus 13y agoIt would be an interesting way to turn this into an international incident. I rather like it for that alone.
- gsibble 13y agoThink of it this way.....if China tries to grab him, the US will suddenly offer him immunity to come back home. He's put both countries in a very interesting position.
- codeulike 13y agoI doubt he is really where he claims to be
- yesplorer 13y agoAccording to the article, he's in Hong Kong not China. They are two different places. and Hong Kong is actually a good place for him in such a situation.
- sachitgupta 13y agoThis guy doesn't seem very smart at all. And using pillow cases and shields over screens to stop the NSA? I think someone like him, with his level of access to information, would have his reasons for choosing China.