9 ms·

Snowden Criticizes U.S. Panel Overseeing Surveillance

59 points by kunle 13y ago

jeynepoole 13y ago
I sincerely hope that he gets asylum from Brazil. It worries me that there still has not been sweeping reforms in NSA
- furiousGeorge 13y ago
  I hope so too, but I see sweeping reforms in the NSA around never.
scardine 13y ago
AFAIK Brazilian law forbids extradition of criminals to countries that have a death penalty, so I guess he would be safe if he gets here.
- justin66 13y ago
  That's actually true of the EU as well, I believe. US prosecutors would (in theory) need to agree not to seek the death penalty in order to obtain extradition.
  - annnnd 13y ago
    AFAIK they already agreed to that in case of HK. Not that it matters much... There are other ways one can set an example.
- rgbrenner 13y ago
  I haven't heard anyone talk about the death penalty for Snowden. Manning got 35 years. I'm sure the US gov would be happy to lock Snowden up for the rest of his life (instead of the death penalty) if it meant they could get him back on US soil.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
  - grey-area 13y ago
    Just in the last week a few prominent and influential figures have said just that: “I think giving him amnesty is idiotic,” Former CIA Director James Woolsey said. “He should be prosecuted for treason. If convicted by a jury of his peers, he should be hanged by his neck until he is dead." [1] Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton: Edward Snowden 'Ought To Swing From A Tall Oak Tree' [2] That's not the administration's official line of course, and might be Fox News or the administration just floating the idea, but these are very senior figures in the Washington establishment. [1] http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/17/ex-cia-director-snowden-should-be-hanged-if-convicted-for-treason/ http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/17/ex-cia-director-s... [2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/17/john-bolton-edward-snowden_n_4461196.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/17/john-bolton-edward-...
- znowi 13y ago
  There are laws and there are American interests that tend to have precedence. It's about risk assessment - how much of a fallout can be expected. In case of Russia, it's likely to be substantial, so the US don't intervene. If you talk about "colonial" South America - few people will care. A presidential plane can be grounded en route and searched. And you talk about safety of a former NSA contractor here.
- DennisP 13y ago
  Does Brazil forbid extradition in particular cases that might bring the death penalty, or does it flat forbid all extradition to countries that have the death penalty at all?
  - scardine 13y ago
    AFAIK it forbids all prosecution-based extradition for countries that have death penalty. It also forbids extradition if the subject is married to a Brazilian citizen or has Brazilian offspring.
digitalengineer 13y ago
“Their job wasn’t to protect privacy or deter abuses, it was to ‘restore public confidence’ in these spying activities. Many of the recommendations they made are cosmetic changes,” Mr. Snowden said in an email exchange with the Globo TV channel." Likewise when someone does step forward and leaks, their first action is to ridicule the person doing the leaking.
spodek 13y ago
When the U.S. Government realizes that Snowden has more credibility than it does on spying, it may come to realize better ways to improve its stature. The tried-and-true method for handling huge PR gaffs is to come clean and state everything you've done the public might consider wrong so no one else can, state you understand you shouldn't have done it, and take responsibility for doing it better. The problem for the U.S. Government for doing anything remotely like that is that the decision to do so has to come from the top, which is Obama, and Obama doesn't seem to agree with the public that the government did something wrong. Or that somehow the system isolated him or twisted his understanding to where he doesn't understand the public's perspective, odd as that may sound regarding a lawyer who would understand the Fourth Amendment.
- digitalengineer 13y ago
  Any change is resisted because bureaucrats have a vested interest in the chaos in which they exist. ~ Richard -I am not a crook- Nixon
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]

59 points by kunle 13y ago

jeynepoole 13y ago

I sincerely hope that he gets asylum from Brazil. It worries me that there still has not been sweeping reforms in NSA

furiousGeorge 13y ago
I hope so too, but I see sweeping reforms in the NSA around never.

scardine 13y ago

AFAIK Brazilian law forbids extradition of criminals to countries that have a death penalty, so I guess he would be safe if he gets here.

justin66 13y ago
That's actually true of the EU as well, I believe. US prosecutors would (in theory) need to agree not to seek the death penalty in order to obtain extradition.
- annnnd 13y ago
  AFAIK they already agreed to that in case of HK. Not that it matters much... There are other ways one can set an example.
rgbrenner 13y ago
I haven't heard anyone talk about the death penalty for Snowden. Manning got 35 years. I'm sure the US gov would be happy to lock Snowden up for the rest of his life (instead of the death penalty) if it meant they could get him back on US soil.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- grey-area 13y ago
  Just in the last week a few prominent and influential figures have said just that: “I think giving him amnesty is idiotic,” Former CIA Director James Woolsey said. “He should be prosecuted for treason. If convicted by a jury of his peers, he should be hanged by his neck until he is dead." [1] Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton: Edward Snowden 'Ought To Swing From A Tall Oak Tree' [2] That's not the administration's official line of course, and might be Fox News or the administration just floating the idea, but these are very senior figures in the Washington establishment. [1] http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/17/ex-cia-director-snowden-should-be-hanged-if-convicted-for-treason/ http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/17/ex-cia-director-s... [2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/17/john-bolton-edward-snowden_n_4461196.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/17/john-bolton-edward-...
znowi 13y ago
There are laws and there are American interests that tend to have precedence. It's about risk assessment - how much of a fallout can be expected. In case of Russia, it's likely to be substantial, so the US don't intervene. If you talk about "colonial" South America - few people will care. A presidential plane can be grounded en route and searched. And you talk about safety of a former NSA contractor here.
DennisP 13y ago
Does Brazil forbid extradition in particular cases that might bring the death penalty, or does it flat forbid all extradition to countries that have the death penalty at all?
- scardine 13y ago
  AFAIK it forbids all prosecution-based extradition for countries that have death penalty. It also forbids extradition if the subject is married to a Brazilian citizen or has Brazilian offspring.

digitalengineer 13y ago

“Their job wasn’t to protect privacy or deter abuses, it was to ‘restore public confidence’ in these spying activities. Many of the recommendations they made are cosmetic changes,” Mr. Snowden said in an email exchange with the Globo TV channel." Likewise when someone does step forward and leaks, their first action is to ridicule the person doing the leaking.

spodek 13y ago

When the U.S. Government realizes that Snowden has more credibility than it does on spying, it may come to realize better ways to improve its stature. The tried-and-true method for handling huge PR gaffs is to come clean and state everything you've done the public might consider wrong so no one else can, state you understand you shouldn't have done it, and take responsibility for doing it better. The problem for the U.S. Government for doing anything remotely like that is that the decision to do so has to come from the top, which is Obama, and Obama doesn't seem to agree with the public that the government did something wrong. Or that somehow the system isolated him or twisted his understanding to where he doesn't understand the public's perspective, odd as that may sound regarding a lawyer who would understand the Fourth Amendment.

digitalengineer 13y ago
Any change is resisted because bureaucrats have a vested interest in the chaos in which they exist. ~ Richard -I am not a crook- Nixon
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]