Breaking . . . Edward Snowden Tells South China Morning Post US Hacks Into Hong Kong, China Computers
Posted: June 12, 2013 Filed under: China, Crime, Foreign Affairs, U.S. Politics | Tags: CIA, Edward Snowden, NSA whistleblowers 75 Comments
Edward Snowden
I’m no expert on the laws about revealing classified information to foreign governments, but this doesn’t sound very smart to me. Edward Snowden, who has leaked information about methods the NSA uses to collect data on Americans has now showed documents to the South China Morning Post to prove that the U.S. has been hacking into computers in Hong Kong and China since at least 2009.
In a frank hour-long interview, the 29-year-old, who US authorities have confirmed is now the subject of a criminal case, said he was neither a hero nor a traitor and that:
US National Security Agency’s controversial Prism programme extends to people and institutions in Hong Kong and mainland China;
The US is exerting “bullying’’ diplomatic pressure on Hong Kong to extradite him;
Hong Kong’s rule of law will protect him from the US;
He is in constant fear for his own safety and that of his family.
Snowden told the interviewer that none of the documents related to Chinese “military systems.”
One of the targets in the SAR, according to Snowden, was Chinese University and public officials, businesses and students in the city. The documents also point to hacking activity by the NSA against mainland targets.
Snowden believed there had been more than 61,000 NSA hacking operations globally, with hundreds of targets in Hong Kong and on the mainland.
“We hack network backbones – like huge internet routers, basically – that give us access to the communications of hundreds of thousands of computers without having to hack every single one,” he said….
Snowden said he was releasing the information to demonstrate “the hypocrisy of the US government when it claims that it does not target civilian infrastructure, unlike its adversaries”.
“Not only does it do so, but it is so afraid of this being known that it is willing to use any means, such as diplomatic intimidation, to prevent this information from becoming public.”
What the hell? This guy is really starting to sound like a loose cannon. I’ll update with more info in the comment thread as I get it.
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It seems to me that Snowden is more focused on hurting the U.S. than making positive changes in the system. He’s inching closer to someone more important than right wing Congresspeople calling him the “T” word.
I was just thinking the same thing. The head of the NSA is testifying before a Senate committee now,
as on msnbc for a while but gone now. Should show that instead of their talking heads. We might learn something.
It’s one thing to leak info about abuses in domestic spying, but showing classified documents to a foreign newspaper?? Especially in China!
That does pretty much do it.
Yeah, this is not good, and I agree with you there on the “T” word.
He probably has to provide something in exchange for asylum.
the Guardian had this to say about the 1917 Espionage Act:
“Manning’s treatment while in solitary confinement, which was described by the UN special rapporteur on torture as “cruel, inhuman and degrading”, may now bolster Snowden’s precarious chances of avoiding a US trial altogether by fighting extradition.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/11/edward-snowden-defence
By the way, we don’t really know about the salary thing yet. He might have taken a lesser salary to work at Booz Allen for any number of reasons.
It’s over now. His on-line postings have been found. Stay tuned.
You going to write about it right? wink wink
PA girl who took on donor rules gets adult lungs
Bob Cesca spells out his questions for Glenn Greenwald – why hasn’t he modified his claims after new info has come out?
Bwahahaha
They should have forced Greenwald to write it. I can’t believe they let him publish his articles without any editing or fact-checking.
As a news source, they have dropped a few notches with me. They were weaselly in the new story and never mentioned the original errors.
Wow. Is this becoming an anti-Snowden blog? I am shocked and disappointed. I thought the authoritarian mindset went out with myiq, but the government propaganda seems to be working its magic here. Sorry if I sound harsh, but I am really distressed. How can you believe a word any government official (or Democratic Party defender) says? How? They are all in on it. That’s what we need to be examining. All right, I’m out for now. Have at me, I suppose.
What government official or Democratic Party defender are you talking about? Do you want me to pretend that Snowden didn’t tell lies about himself and didn’t show classified documents to a Chinese newspaper?
No one is going to “have at you.” Your comment was moderated because you referred to a person whose name is in the blacklist file.
Yes, as in …those of whom we do not speak.
the scene is making fun of the film The Village. Quote is halfway in this clip…
Kurt Eichenwald discusses what he learned about the NSA spying programs while writing his book 500 Days.
That fits with what I suspected and what the head of the NSA was attempting to explain to that Senate committee today. By the way, some of those senators seem thick as a brick.
Senators, thick as a brick? How can that be? You’re kidding, right?
Sure…. 😉
That book was so good.
Snowden’s CIA Drunk Driving Plot Claim Questioned
Has anyone noticed lots of this guys stories and quotes seem to come from movies?
North by Northwest? this drunk driving thing
Citizen Kane? That shit about being “An American.”
I’m kind of amazed at the number of people who are taking him dead serious and turning him into a saint. The question “What does his credibility have to do with it?” comes up. That’s bizarre, credibility has everything to do with it.
I’m amazed at people who don’t understand that I can be totally against the NSA spying and still be skeptical about Snowden and still think Greenwald is an asshole.
If this causes a national dialogue and more transparency, I’ll be thrilled. But that doesn’t mean I have to pretend that there isn’t something hinky about Snowden. As for Greenwald, it’s pretty obvious he didn’t do his homework on this guy.
What other movie quotes have you seen, JJ? That’s so fascinating.
I have to do the post for tonight but I will work through that this evening.
I hope you don’t mind, but I just tweeted those two to see if I get any reaction. I think you could be on to something. This guy may have watched too many spy movies.
Not just spy movies, any movies.
Maryland community college confirms that Snowden attended classes, but he never took any computer courses.
Once again, or still, befuddled how someone without a HS diploma, no college degree ends up handling classified info for CIA/NSA & making $200K per year. I have both a HS diploma & a college degree & can recognize a keyboard from a tea kettle – think I should apply for a big paying job like that?
Well, he did lie about his salary 🙂 He was only off by $78K. Seems he may have fabulized the rest of his story about as much.
You should definitely apply.
I’d never get hired. My past involvement with animal rights has, no doubt, put me on the terrorist watch list. And I am serious about that. Not that I broke into any labs but I’ve done more than my share of protesting and being a spokesperson at the demos.
We still don’t know for sure whether he was in the CIA or what he did at other jobs.
What the former top lawyer for the NSA said about that Powerpoint presentation started me thinking. What if that was an internal marketing presentation? Sort of a this is what we would like to do in our dreams and can deliver it for only a few extra billion. I’ve seen a lot of those project maps and such in the private sector.
That would make sense.
Yeah but if those were real secret papers shown to China, then some part of this is serious.
It’s all serious just some of it seems to be lies.
Daily Howler: Maureen and Lawrence are smelling a scandal!
This is just pathetic! The O’Donnell portion is worse.
So the Second Evisceration has begun. I still firmly believe that I’ll be dead before there is ever a female president or vice-president. Why do so many of these boyz hate their mothers, sisters & wives?
Don’t leave out Dowd. That certain group of women are the worst I think. How anyone could take reports by disgruntled employee Gregory Hicks seriously, I don’t know but CBS news also did I guess.
O’Donnell can’t stand Hillary. I’ll probably have to stop listening to him if she runs.
I won’t watch him for sure.
Honestly, I can’t watch him now.
OT, and I haven’t even read your post yet BB but: FEMA denies aid to Texas for blast | AccessNorthGa
Without federal aid, and since the owners had zero insurance, what are those people going to do?
I mean I realize this was no natural disaster, and the fault lies with the owners and the fuckwads who made those ridiculous regulations…but I feel for those poor people.
I guess they should talk to Rick Perry. He doesn’t believe in federal assistance, does he?
Constantly talk about being self sufficient. We should try it.
Texas could try something drastic and live up to their big mouths and the state could pay for it. Just squeezing the hair products out of Rick Perry should gather enough petroleum to take care of it.
Going to show my stupidity here: doesn’t the prez have to declare a disaster area before FEMA can be deployed? If the prez does that, can FEMA say NO? Just wondering. And I doubt the elderly owners have the money to cover the damage, so suing them wouldn’t get much, especially if most ends up going to lawyers on both sides. How can a business be allowed not to have insurance? How can they get a business permit/license, especially when they are dealing with dangerous substances? Texas or is this a problem in a lot of states? Just another case of let the people eat dirt & live in tents. All of us “regular” folks are so screwed.
The plant had $1 million liability, if I remember right. That’s the minimum required or was when I had my own business.
Yup it is Ralph. The article says that FEMA has declined aid before, like that gas explosion in CA a while back. Remember the neighborhood that had those old gas pipes that blew? The mayor of the town says:
I think it shows how fucked up the far right GOP cause can be when things go wrong, I mean it is fucked up when things go right but that goes without saying. I just feel so bad for these townspeople.
It’s terrible but we’re being hoisted on our own petard.
They’ve already given millions of dollars to West and the residents and reimbursed the state for their costs thus far. The state should pick it up from here and saee hat can be done. I imagine the problem could be that the state wants to spend nothing.
I bet you are right Ralph. Like I said, I just feel bad for those people.
FEMA deals with natural disasters. Texas should have had regulations requiring that businesses have liability insurance to cover events like this. But Texas doesn’t believe in regulation of business, so now they’re just going to have to figure out what to do.
It’s sad, but what does anyone expect? I’m just glad I don’t live in a red state.
And I’d love it if we turned blue!
This could help it happen!
Perry is probably confused and doesn’t understand the problem since it’s not gun rights or some anti-abortion bill.
In CA public inspectors can’t be held liable for mistakes. I don’t know if that is true in TX. However maybe the state can be sued in some way or the railroad. Wasn’t there some relationship with them? At least one rail car exploded. Who was that woman, Rylander-Strayhorn that Bush appointed to the Railroad Commission?
Clearly there is negligence on more than just the company’s part.
Richard Clarke: Why you should worry about the NSA
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/worry-nsa-article-1.1369705
Here’s something interesting. Barton Gellman–the guy at the WaPo that Snowden leaked to– wrote this in 2002.
Gellman is a playah or gets played easily.
NYT (see link above)
Now that’s the T word and an almost certain defection, if China will take him.
I missed this from the Hong Kong paper article:
As of 7:06 pm, in CA, their server is down.
Its back up.
Joy Reid writes, On bullying: Glenn Greenwald and the ‘Obama nun rape’ smear
http://blog.reidreport.com/2012/01/on-bullying-glenn-greenwald-and-the-nun-rape-smear/
It was a great post by Joy. I like her commentary on MSNBC. although I’m not watching it as much as I used to. So, who exactly has anointed Greenwald as a liberal? Frankly I’ve never been a follower of his and from Joy’s post I don’t understand how anyone could consider him liberal.
He not a liberal, just a libertarian. Did you know he once defended a vicious white supremacist, Matthew Hale?
Joy mentioned that in her piece. She also said that he’s considered a liberal, hence my question. I know – from here at SD – that Greenwald is a libertarian. That in & of itself is enough to make me not listen to anything he says. I had a terrific chiroprator once, but he was a crazy libertarian. I paint them all with a broad brush – certifiable.