Snowden Helped Guardian Reporter With Secure Communication System

[ProSense]

Snowden Helped Guardian Reporter With Secure Communication System

Before he handed over classified Power Point slides that detailed a sweeping National Security Agency surveillance program, Edward Snowden helped the Guardian's Glenn Greenwald create a secure means of communication, which Greenwald was unfamiliar with, the Huffington Post reports:

Snowden only wanted to communicate securely using PGP encryption, for which Greenwald didn’t have the proper software installed at the time. In an interview with The Huffington Post, Greenwald acknowledged that he's no expert in using such technology and said that Snowden even provided a step-by-step email and video to help secure their communication. At that point, however, Greenwald didn't know what his would-be source had (or didn't have) and continued to prioritize other stories instead.

Snowden then approached Laura Poitras, a filmmaker and a colleague of Greenwald, with the story, according to the Post. Poitras met Greenwald a few months later after the initial exchange and told him that the source was working for an NSA contractor and had "documents showing serious government wrongdoing." After listening to Poitras, Greenwald set up the secured transmission line and resumed his communication with Snowden in late March or early April.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/snowden-helped-guardian-reporter-with-secure-communication-system

This story keeps getting more weird.

Huh. Greenwald said he's been working with Snowden since February. He's been at BAH since March
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022984574

[Hissyspit]

1. So?

[ProSense]

6. So, I think

the story is fishy. I mean, you posted Greenwald's response to the second link in the OP:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022984574#post13

Greenwald's motives are questionable.

[Hissyspit]

8. Yeah, not really seeing that.

[Luminous Animal]

2. That exactly what he should have been doing. Nothing weird at all.

[warrior1]

3. Greenwald

may be a co-conspirator in egging Snowden in the illegal leak. That's how I'm reading this.

Since he knew him before the hire at is last job, ever.

[ProSense]

5. Yup! n/t

[SunSeeker]

23. Weird that a guy disillusioned pretty much from day one kept going back for more.

Especially with the Booz Allen job. WTF? You think Greenwald goaded Snowden into the Booz Allen job and the thumb drive stunt?

[Tx4obama]

4. Snowden said he made the decision to leak before the Nov 2008 election

He said he was thinking about leaking the info 'before' the Nov 2008 election, and then decided to wait to see what Obama would do after/if he was elected.

Read that yesterday somewhere.




Edited to add a link...

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57588462/snowden-leak-of-nsa-spy-programs-marks-my-end/?pageNum=2

-snip-

He later went to work for the CIA as an information technology employee and by 2007 was stationed in Geneva, Switzerland, where he had access to classified documents.

During that time, he considered going public about the nation's secretive programs but told the newspaper he decided against it, because he did not want to put anyone in danger and he hoped Obama's election would curtail some of the clandestine programs.

He said he was disappointed that Obama did not rein in the surveillance programs.

-snip-

[warrior1]

7. I wonder how he got through the job screening process at BAH.

His resume seems pretty lite.

[Recursion]

12. For that matter, how did he get diplomatic cover in Geneva immediately on joining the CIA?

That's a very sought after post.

[LeftInTX]

13. I kinda wonder if Snowden worked for the CIA

CIA requires college degrees for most IT work.

Snowden has a GED
Snowden took some classes at a community college, but didn't take necessary computer classes.

Sorry I don't have the link, but the community college he went to released some info today.

[Tx4obama]

15. Here's the link...

Community College Says NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Took No "Cyber-Related Classes"

DU OP here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022986425

[LeftInTX]

16. Thx!

[Tx4obama]

20. Yes, at one point Snowden worked for the CIA (long before he went to work at Booz this year)

-snip-

Snowden told The Guardian he lacked a high school diploma and served in the U.S. Army until he was discharged because of an injury, and later worked as a security guard with the NSA.

He later went to work for the CIA as an information technology employee and by 2007 was stationed in Geneva, Switzerland, where he had access to classified documents.

During that time, he considered going public about the nation's secretive programs but told the newspaper he decided against it, because he did not want to put anyone in danger and he hoped Obama's election would curtail some of the clandestine programs.

-snip-

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57588462/snowden-leak-of-nsa-spy-programs-marks-my-end/?pageNum=2

[LeftInTX]

21. That's what he says!

Unfortunately, I don't know if the CIA will verify or not verify this.
Anyone can say anything!

[LeftInTX]

22. I eat crow! He probably did work for the CIA!

The Swiss govt has a record of him being there from 2007-09!

I also read in various articles there is a need for these young self taught types in the intelligence community.

[longship]

9. PGP is easy to install and use.

Most e-mail clients support it directly. It can also be made fucking secure, likely beyond even NSA capability. That's straightforward, too.

Another step is traffic analysis, and that can be partially circumvented as well by use of readily available off-site tools preventing tracerouting of messages.

There is a maxim about the Internet that has proven true. The Internet protocols view censorship as network damage and automatically route around it. (Or something to that effect.)

All these tools have been in place since the birth of this technology and have only become more advanced and robust as the years go by, and as the pressures to reign such things in have increased. It's a classic example of evolution in progress. In a hostile environment, the surviving lifeforms have to adapt.

[Recursion]

19. That's what kills me. There is, freely available, software that will stop NSA dead in its tracks

along with the Russian mafia and whoever else wants to read your emails. But nobody bothers to use it.

[Tarheel_Dem]

10. So this was in the works when he accepted the job at BAH. Did he flunk his orientation? Were they

about to dump him? Is this really retaliation? And why Hong Kong? WTF is that about? Lots of questions, not to mention he's apparently a Paulite.

[Tx4obama]

18. And where is his girlfriend? Is she okay? She would know about his mental state. n/t

[Recursion]

11. Interesting. PGP would have two uses here

1. For Greenwald to insure that a message actually came from Snowden and was not tampered with

2. For Snowden to insure that nobody but Greenwald could read it in transit

As a side note, I have long advocated that everyone use PGP in their electronic communications.

[geek tragedy]

14. only notable thing is that Greenwald hadn't done this already.

Seems like a basic--if you're going to dedicate yourself towards making the surveillance state's life difficult, probably want to make sure you're not getting bugged.

[Recursion]

17. Hell, if we could just get everybody to use PGP, the whole NSA program would be moot... (nt)