New Snowden Leak Upstages U.S. Move to Declassify Documents

[Hissyspit]

Source: Reuters

New Snowden leak upstages U.S. move to declassify documents

By Alina Selyukh and Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON | Wed Jul 31, 2013 3:50pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New revelations from former security contractor Edward Snowden that U.S. intelligence agencies have access to a vast online tracking tool came to light on Wednesday as lawmakers put the secret surveillance programs under greater scrutiny.

The Guardian, citing documents from Snowden, published National Security Agency training materials for the XKeyscore program, which the newspaper described as the NSA's widest-reaching system that covers "nearly everything a typical user does on the Internet."

Intelligence analysts can conduct surveillance through XKeyscore by filling in an on-screen form giving only a "broad justification" for the search and no review by a court or NSA staff, the Guardian said.

Snowden's revelations to media that U.S. intelligence agencies collected data on phone calls and other communications of Americans and foreign citizens as a tool to fight terrorism have sparked uproar in the United States and abroad.

Intelligence officials say the programs helped thwart terrorist attacks.

"The implication that NSA's collection is arbitrary and unconstrained is false," the agency said in a statement in response to the Guardian's new report, calling XKeyscore part of "NSA's lawful foreign signals intelligence collection system."

Lawmakers have called for greater oversight of the vast surveillance system, which expanded rapidly after the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE96U03320130731

[Vietnameravet]

1. Well didnt the Russians say Snowden could stay provided he did not release more documents?

or do more harm? Well then let the Russians keep their word and ship him back...

[dipsydoodle]

2. You know he did it personally how exactly ?

[Vietnameravet]

3. Well it does say a new leak from Snowden does it not?

[deurbano]

7. From the article (since headlines can be misleading):

<<The Guardian, citing documents from Snowden, published National Security Agency training materials for the XKeyscore program, which the newspaper described as the NSA's widest-reaching system that covers "nearly everything a typical user does on the Internet.">>


Snowden already gave the Guardian the documents. The paper has been gradually reviewing them and analyzing them before deciding on what to publish.

[SeattleVet]

8. Newly published, but Greenwald stated that he has thousands of docs

and it's taking time to go through them, vet them, and whatever before he publishes them. Essentially, these documents have already been released, but the claim is that he has a LOT more that has not been sent to any outlets.

[pscot]

4. where's the harm

except to the careerist fear mongers who are getting rich off the surveillance state?

[avaistheone1]

5. A relevation is not necessarily a document.

[frylock]

6. you should get over there and hold pooty-poot to his word

[dipsydoodle]

10. Putin's word was that he never has and never will extradite anyone.

On the subject of Snowden he'd already handed that information over - the fact it has only just been published is incidental.

[olddad56]

9. Why would the Russians not want him to expose what he knows. Why would the citzens not want him to?

[QuestForSense]

11. There's always more than meets the eye

I agree, but while all eyes are 'focused' on Snowden, a lot of things swirl around the periphery, unnoticed. For instance, I've read a few things about Sabrina De Sousa, a former CIA officer, a big story which lasted about half a day before disappearing. And there is also Robert Seldon Lady, another former CIA agent who, ironically, is like a 'reverse' Edward Snowden. Tom Engelhardt's article on Lady is still up on Salon (see http://www.salon.com/2013/07/29/u_s_chased_down_snowden_but_let_cia_operative_robert_seldon_lady_disappear_partner/), but I think a lot of stories which might give people a sense of perspective are allowed to die so stories like Snowden's can blossom and take on a life of their own. The facts recede and people's reactions actually 'become' the story. It's a great formula because it works like a charm, but the new story is still only a lie. Why do the citizens not want him to expose what he knows? I think maybe a lot of people prefer the comfort of a lie. He exposed the truth, and only the truth hurts.

[mallard]

16. Re: They don't want to ...

... make life hard on their American friends. They don't want to be an enemy.

[MADem]

17. They could play that card...!

And the notion downthread that "he (Snowden) might not have done it" is absurd on its face. He's the one who has asserted that HE has positive control over the documents, and that even torture couldn't get them from him.

I think Snowden fucked himself. If Putin wants to resolve this with little or no damage to himself, Snowden just gave him an "out" to so do. Plus, the US government would be in Pootie's "debt," another thing Pootie likes....

[NealK]

12. K&R

[GoneFishin]

13. K & R.

[Civilization2]

14. The govt. tries to make what is now out look OK,. yet more comes out,. and it is worse.

It is not so much what they SAY they use all this scraped info for,. it is how easy it is for contractors or anyone with "access" to dig dirt on anyone they need to destroy, political foes say,. . a system with this much information cross-linked and historically archived will make it trivial to destroy/control any opponent, or opposition. The new corporate-military state will be all knowing and all powerful,. all opposition will be quashed. Welcome to the new world order they have promised, the military empire has a secret intelligence empire big brother to keep it protected, and the people can eat cake.

Silly proles. Know your place, and let the 1% run the ship of empire.

[GliderGuider]

15. I'm pretty impressed with how Greenwald is handling this.

He's analyzing the stuff before it comes out, making sure there are no mistakes in the stories, spreading it around the world, the feed rate is keeping it in the public eye, and the revelations seem to be getting more depth as time goes on.

It's a textbook lesson in high-impact journalism. Nice job, Glenn!

[blackspade]

18. K&R!