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7 Street roots July 18, 2014 Edward Snowden and the biggest trove of classified documents in history important, and some e-mails are simply worthless. This particular correspondent he saga of whistleblower Edward asked Greenwald to install encryption Snowden continues to unfold. The software. Greenwald is a brilliant writer and May 29 edition of The Seattle Times astute analyst of political affairs but he carried à front page story of Snowden’s lacked the technical know-how to encrypt ? recent interview with NBC anchorman his laptop. Busy with other pressing Brian Williams. A year ago, this young, projects, Greenwald let the request slide. In unknown National Security Agency (NSA)1 doing so he nearly lost what would be the contract employee, who claims to have also biggest news story since the release of the been “trained as a spy,” unleashed a Pentagon Papers. staggering volume of top secret documents Greenwald’s procrastination led the still that he had downloaded from the NSA’s * unknown Snowden to approach filmmaker labyrinthine network. It was the biggest Laura Poitras: “At the end of January 2013, security breach in history. This avalanche of Snowden tried a different way to get to information revealed the broad domestic (Greenwald). He sent an e-mail to Laura and international reach of the NSA’s Poitras. He was hoping to open an sophisticated snooping powers. Contrary to anonymous channel to the documentary the statements of officials that there were film-maker, who was Greeriwald’s friend and no deliberate bulk spying programs on a close collaborator. Poitras was another leading critic of the U.S. security state — American citizens, Snowden’s cache of material proved otherwise. All kinds of data and one of its more prominent victims.” and content were being “hoovered up” by a Because of her trenchant films, Poitras voracious system, making a mockery of had often encountered difficulties reentering the U.S. She had been detained constitutional restraints on such invasive at airports on about 40 different occasions. practices. For his action, Snowden has been called a She would soon take the mystery man’s communiqués very seriously: “He said he traitor by some. Others tout him as a defender of the U.S. Constitution and a hero had got hold of Presidential Policy Directive 20, a top secret 18-page document issued in for free speech and government October 2012. It said that Obama had transparency. His revelations have sparked secretly ordered his senior national security an intense arid often strident global conversation on crucial matters of individual and intelligence officials to draw up a list of potential overseas targets for U.S, cyber- privacy and national security in a complex attacks. Not (defense), but attacks. The digital age. Since June 2013, thè exiled agency was tapping fiber-optic cables, Snowden has resided in Russia where he intercepting telephone landing points and was granted temporary asylum. His exact bugging on a global scale, he said. lie could whereabouts in that country remain prove all of it. ‘I almost fainted,’ Poitras unknown. says.” In “The Snowden Files,” The Guardian’s She contacted Greenwald, making him Luke Harding has produced a brisk intelligence veteran. Instead they were confronted by a fellow who looked like he could still be in his teens. Snowden proved he was genuine. On June 5, 2013 The Guardian published its first story detailing a court order compelling Verizon to hand over data: “The implications were massive. The Verizon secret court order was dated 25 April 2013. It forced one of the U.S.’s largest telecom providers to hand over to the NSA the telephone records of millions of its U.S. customers. Verizon was passing on private details on an ‘ongoing daily basis.’ It was giving NSA shattering exposé shews the information on all calls USA to he a most formidable in its system, both player, il ls bat one entity in inside the U.S. and an lateraatleaal espionage between the U,S. and other countries. It was f reM or-all In which an ecean sensational apparent el Information about proof that NSA was a ind lw in als. > b <1 myriad dragnet collecting the organlxatlons Is cellecteiy records of millions of U.S. citizens, stored and analyx©< regardless of whether they had committed any crime or been involved in terrorism.” This was just the start of astonishing revelations demonstrating the vast, web óf intelligence and data gathering pervading the planet. Although Snowden’s shattering exposé shows the NSA to be a most formidable player, it is but one entity in an international espionage free-for-all in which an ocean of information about individuals and myriad organizations is collected, stored chronicle of the bombshell leaks from the ultra-secret NSA. Harding details the unveiling of Snow den’s colossal trove of . promises to place at least some control over BY JOE M A RTIN / CONTRIBUTING WRITER a The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Wanted Man by Luke Harding take a fresh look at the Internet seeker who had been trying to connect with him for months. Poitras knew nothing of Snowden’s clandestine material. It started in December 2012, when notable U.S. journalist Glenn Greenwald, writing then for Britain’s The Guardian, received a cryptic email: “I have some stuff you might be interested in.” Greenwald gets a horde of e-mails every day. Often senders claim to have critical information. Frequently the material is riot that earlier attempts. Now aware of the gravity of What they were dealing with, Greenwald and Pojtras would eventually fly to Hong Kong where they would meet in secret with their intriguing informant. The duo was j / accompanied by journalist Ewen MacAskill. At first none of. them could believe that this young man could possibly be behind the leaks. All were expecting an older and analyzed. The USA Freedom Act is making its way through Congress and the NSA’s warrantless data collection. What will happen if another atrocity like 9/11 explodes somewhere on U.S. territory? Will we once again ignore rampant violations of the U.S. Constitution in the name of security? Those are exigent questions for our time. ____ _______ Reprinted for Real Change Newspaper, Street Roots’ sister paper in Seattle, Wash. C6NTRALCITY c o n c e r n Ending homelessness and achieving self-sufficiency - now roasting and distributing craft coffee. Available for purchase at: New Seasons Market Green Zebra Grocery Food Front Cooperative Grocery Chuck's Produce <• ©rill usririr offiriri colfe© occountri . 'S03-7844>263, . 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