Why is there such a hubbub about Snowden

[UtwigMU]

That NSA and other 3-letter agencies in USA can watch and are watching Internet and telephone communications is nothing new. Before Internet other means of communications were probably supervised.

Also anyone who is in tech should have heard about echelon, NSA data centers, agreements with Telecoms and ISPs and uplinks to their data centers couple of years ago. Also technical side of how might they do it is nothing secret. To me this is nothing new or unexpected. What he revealed was common public knowledge.

So why are they making such a fuss out of it and are looking for him and making fools of themselves in the process. Wikileaks I can understand as I've read couple of cables related to my country and while there is nothing there that one couldn't have read in the newspapers at least some classified information was leaked to public. The main value was not in factual information but in the light in which USA sees people and events. In Snowden's case he said: NSA is spying on your communications. It's like McDonald's makes burgers, it's their raison d'etre.

[Jammrock]

That's been my exact response. What exactly did people think the NSA did? Anyone who knows anything about the NSA knows they are cyber and telecom spies. I was completely unshocked by Snowden's "whistleblowing".

[UtwigMU]

Also I was writing some IT papers for some US students on network security. The task was to create outline for some fictional organization for security and disaster recovery based on NSA guidelines.

NSA develops recommendations and rules for implementing computer security, defines organizational structure, plans for disaster recovery and guidelines for protocols for all government institutions. Basically what every US public institution even if they are some forest rangers in Wisconsin needs to have in place. Based on how lengthy, badly written and org-chart heavy those papers were I'd wonder how NSA gets anything done.

They also developed SeLinux.

You can go to NSA website and see their security guidelines yourself. Some are useful, some are less so.

[Umfriend]

Isn't the big issue that the NSA tries to store _everything_ as opposed to spy based on actual suspicions against certain targets?

Imagine the police searching your house without a warrant, not in order to charge you should they find anything but to include the results of the search in a case based on suspicions that arose later. Or opening and copying your (snail)mail. Doesn't feel comfortable for me (but I have _nothing_ to hide, honest! ).

It's not like the investigative branch (or officers thereof for their own benefit) never ever use such information against people.

That's been my exact response. What exactly did people think the NSA did? Anyone who knows anything about the NSA knows they are cyber and telecom spies. I was completely unshocked by Snowden's "whistleblowing".

[Brian Ellis]

Dare I suggest the word "paranoia"?

[KRSESQ]

In this day and age, a little paranoia is a healthy thing.

If you're looking for a needle in a haystack, you have to examine every straw.

[cjolley]

Snowden has done, or threatened to do, much more than just expose the collection of phone call logs.

[UtwigMU]

Yes, I find that uncomfortable and in USA it's probably unconstitutional. Also I think half of NSA probably just burns taxpayer's money with little effect. But now that major media and not only tech outlets are publicizing it, do you see any concerted action by people to appeal this through political process. I think people as a collective are pretty dumb and have memory of a gold fish.

The solution is to run everything you want private on your own systems, encrypt everything you want private, use custom ROMs on cell phones, block various computer and phone / tablet apps from accessing your data and talking home.

[KRSESQ]

funny thing is, that kind of encryption is a red flag in the modern surveillance state, and is sure to draw undesired attention. If you want to remain truly beneath the radar and not draw attention to yourself, al qaeda knows the trick: private couriers. Keep your online communications happy and innocuous.

[Umfriend]

Dare I suggest the word "paranoia"?

Sure, but why?

[VJ]

I guess there are many reasons for all the hubbub...
Everybody knows they are listening in, but at the same time it is an invasion of privacy. Theoretically, they are only allowed to listen in on people that are suspected of some wrongdoing (and even then it is limited). So that is a first issue.
Next, they are afraid of what else he might reveal. If he worked at NSA for several years, he can get a nice collection of data. So they are probably not too upset that word got out, but they know what more can come out.

To me it is just funny that they manage to turn him into the bad guy. The human rights argument for getting him back to the US seem a bit a weird argument....

O, does anybody know if : "it is like shearing a pig: a lot of screams but no wool" is a genuine Russian expression?

[Brian Ellis]

Черт стриг свинью - визгу много, а шерсти нет
Damn(ed or devil) clipped a pig - a lot of screeching and no wool

[UtwigMU]

Черт стриг свинью - визгу много, а шерсти нет
Damn(ed or devil) clipped a pig - a lot of screeching and no wool

Yes, but he phrased t slightly differently: поросенка стричь – визга много, а шерсти мало

свиня = pig / hog
просенок = piglet / little pig

[UtwigMU]

What I find very interesting is how everyone is afraid of pissing off USA: France, Spain, Portugal turned Morales' plane. Even Putin, the authoritarian president of World's biggest country and 2nd in military offered Snowden a stay only if he stops talking.

[cjolley]

What I find very interesting is how everyone is afraid of pissing off USA: France, Spain, Portugal turned Morales' plane. Even Putin, the authoritarian president of World's biggest country and 2nd in military offered Snowden a stay only if he stops talking.

They aren't afraid of the US, they are afraid of giving their own citizens any ideas.
Almost any of those countries would lose an openness "arms race" to the US by miles and miles.