We Now Know A Lot More About Edward Snowden's Epic Heist — And It's Troubling

[Blue_Tires]

Edward Snowden's in-depth interview with James Bamford of Wired offers details about his last job as a contractor for the NSA in Honolulu, which raise disconcerting questions about the motives of the former systems administrator.

While working at two consecutive jobs in Hawaii from March 2012 to May 2013, the 31-year-old allegedly stole about 200,000 "tier 1 and 2" documents, which mostly detailed the NSA's global surveillance apparatus and were given to American journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras in June 2013. The government believes Snowden also took up to 1.5 million "tier 3" documents potentially detailing U.S. capabilities and NSA offensive cyber operations, the whereabouts of which are unknown.

We now know more about the larger and more sensitive cache of classified documents. Furthermore, a close reading of relevant reporting and of statements made by Snowden suggests that much of what the rogue NSA employee intentionally took involved operational information unrelated to civil liberties.

While the tier 3 material appears to have not been shared with American journalists, some of it was shown to a Chinese newspaper. And 14 months later, given the uncertain fate of the documents, it is not unreasonable to ask whether they could have fallen into the hands of an adversarial foreign intelligence service.

(more)

http://www.businessinsider.com/snowden-took-level-1-and-level-3-documents-2014-8

[Zorro]

1. Snowden betrayed his country

and made the citizens of the USA less safe in an increasingly dangerous world.

[KoKo]

9. Are you serious? Or is this snark....

??????

[DonViejo]

2. Whoa!...

Consequently, Snowden's decision to steal and share such details of the NSA's snooping on a foreign government is not a simple matter of exposing illegality or relative wrongdoing, but suggests something far more serious.

NSA whistleblower William Binney — a hero of Snowden's — told USA Today that the SCMP leaks marked a "transition from whistleblower to a traitor."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/snowden-took-level-1-and-level-3-documents-2014-8#ixzz3AwKWjK2N

[Bragi]

3. Snowdon is a great citizen of the world

No-one has done more to expose and shed light on the illegal spying activities of the U.S government on its own citizens, and abroad. He deserves a Nobel Prize.

[newfie11]

4. +1. Nt

[MannyGoldstein]

5. Linked article relies heavily on fringe-right sources

Powerline and a "reporter" for the WSJ.

[GeorgeGist]

6. ooga booga ...

a close reading of relevant reporting and of statements made by Snowden suggests that much of what the rogue NSA employee intentionally took involved operational information unrelated to civil liberties.

[QC]

7. He's a poopiehead!!!

[bemildred]

8. Such incompetence in maintaining its own internal security must be very troubling to the NSA. nt