Snowden says even old computers can get through them without breaking a sweat.
On Sunday, FBI director James Comey spoke to make a statement echoing one we’d heard before – Hillary Clinton broke no laws using her own email server during her time as Secretary of State.
The announcement came about a week after a new investigation of 650,000 messages on Anthony Weiner’s account commenced. The speed with which the investigation was conducted and findings released caused many on the right to suggest the proceedings happened too quickly to be thorough or legitimate.
Trump supporter General Michael Flynn shared his skepticism, bookended with an all caps “IMPOSSIBLE,” driving the message home before asking, hat-in-hand, for a retweet:
IMPOSSIBLE: There R 691,200 seconds in 8 days. DIR Comey has thoroughly reviewed 650,000 emails in 8 days? An email / second? IMPOSSIBLE RT— General Flynn (@General Flynn) 1478471370.0
He then looked back at the initial investigation as a benchmark for how long this second inquiry should have taken:
It took 1 year to review 60K and 8 days to review 650K? Smart machines or not, something does not jive. Thoughts?— General Flynn (@General Flynn) 1478472145.0
This led to many seeking an objective opinion on the matter. With that, former NSA operative in-exile Edward Snowden was pinged via Twitter for his two cents:
Hey @Snowden, for context, how long would it take the NSA to dedupe 650k emails?— Jeff Jarvis (@Jeff Jarvis) 1478480680.0
Snowden, never one to shy away from bursting people’s bubbles, suggested that eight days would have been a leisurely pace. Wondering how it’s done? Snowden spells it out clearly...sort of:
@jeffjarvis Drop non-responsive To:/CC:/BCC:, hash both sets, then subtract those that match. Old laptops could do it in minutes-to-hours.— Edward Snowden (@Edward Snowden) 1478481549.0
Those might not be the clearest instructions to laypeople, but I’m guessing that analysts in the NSA, CIA, or FBI could probably make short work of that, even if they were cursed with “old laptops.” Comey insisted that this FBI team was working around the clock, so perhaps he’d want to inquire what else was being done during this time before he starts cutting checks for overtime.
As persuasive as this analysis is, it’s unlikely to silence critics. As we’ve seen in this election, curbing conspiracies with facts has been tantamount to shooting a BB gun at a freight train.
Still, we can’t help but wonder: If Snowden’s right about this, then why did the first investigation take so long?
Share on Facebook
