Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance

[octoberlib]

The individual responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history is Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. Snowden has been working at the National Security Agency for the last four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including Booz Allen and Dell.

The Guardian, after several days of interviews, is revealing his identity at his request. From the moment he decided to disclose numerous top-secret documents to the public, he was determined not to opt for the protection of anonymity. "I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong," he said.

Snowden will go down in history as one of America's most consequential whistleblowers, alongside Daniel Ellsberg and Bradley Manning. He is responsible for handing over material from one of the world's most secretive organisations – the NSA.

In a note accompanying the first set of documents he provided, he wrote: "I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions," but "I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon and irresistible executive powers that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/09/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower-surveillance

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. A good and brave man. Bravo!

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. and hopefully will get a LOT of public support

when TPTB jump all over him.

[octoberlib]

9. Couldn't agree more. nt

[villager]

2. And now the DU condemnations of him can get even more specific...

Alas.

[Bonhomme Richard]

6. +1 n/t

[blkmusclmachine]

3. .

[Warren Stupidity]

4. Wait, wut? Weren't we told this was all old hat, nothing new, blah dee blah blah?

[Bonhomme Richard]

5. Coming out was very smart. Though I guess.....

he didn't have much of a choice.
The thing is, that as the whole intelligence apparatus grows so too will the likelihood of leakers. The more people that know about a secret the harder it is to keep.

[RobertEarl]

7. Thank you, Edward Snowden

Remember, many a fine soldier has died for the right of free speech. You are doing nothing more than respecting their sacrifice. Bravo!

[FarCenter]

10. No tinfoil? No TEMPEST upgrades to his room?

In the three weeks since he arrived, he has been ensconced in a hotel room. "I've left the room maybe a total of three times during my entire stay," he said. It is a plush hotel and, what with eating meals in his room too, he has run up big bills.

He is deeply worried about being spied on. He lines the door of his hotel room with pillows to prevent eavesdropping. He puts a large red hood over his head and laptop when entering his passwords to prevent any hidden cameras from detecting them.

Also, not the sharpest knife in the drawer:

After that, he got his first job in an NSA facility, working as a security guard for one of the agency's covert facilities at the University of Maryland. From there, he went to the CIA, where he worked on IT security. His understanding of the internet and his talent for computer programming enabled him to rise fairly quickly for someone who lacked even a high school diploma.

By 2007, the CIA stationed him with diplomatic cover in Geneva, Switzerland. His responsibility for maintaining computer network security meant he had clearance to access a wide array of classified documents

.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_disorder

Fanatic narcissist - Including paranoid features

An individual whose self-esteem was severely arrested during childhood, who usually displays major paranoid tendencies, and who holds on to an illusion of omnipotence. These people are fighting delusions of insignificance and lost value, and trying to re-establish their self-esteem through grandiose fantasies and self-reinforcement. When unable to gain recognition or support from others, they take on the role of a heroic or worshipped person with a grandiose mission.

[UTUSN]

11. And he carries with him a copy of CHEENEE's biography with him, besides adding gratuitous info

about "our CIA down the road" and "Triad". Yip, he's got a firm hold on concepts.

[MineralMan]

12. This Edward Snowden is in Hong Kong. There are a number of people

with that name, so please be careful not to identify one of those as this person. If you search for the name, you will find people who are not this man.