The exiled American offers one huge insight that other outlets haven’t picked up
Say what you want about the prior acts of Edward Snowden, but good, bad, or otherwise, the man is in a position to look at the recent Wikileaks document dump and shed some light on what’s really at play.
Snowden, currently living in asylum in Russia while a wanted man in his native United States, suggested via Twitter that the docs “look authentic” to him. He offers not only an explanation of what led him to draw the conclusion that they’re real, but also talks about what he finds to be the biggest story amidst the thousands of docs and cables.
He provides his thoughts in some pretty intuitive and logically successive tweets which tell the story well devoid of any other necessary context.
Still working through the publication, but what @Wikileaks has here is genuinely a big deal. Looks authentic.— Edward Snowden (@Edward Snowden) 1488905637.0
What makes this look real? Program & office names, such as the JQJ (IOC) crypt series, are real. Only a cleared insider could know them.— Edward Snowden (@Edward Snowden) 1488906246.0
He also posits that the documents reveal the government’s activity in keeping privately-produced software vulnerable so that they can access data contained therein. That part is more difficult to ascertain based on the snippets he presents, but you certainly can choose to take him at his word or not.
If you're writing about the CIA/@Wikileaks story, here's the big deal: first public evidence USG secretly paying to… https://t.co/4XPVADj5iZ— Edward Snowden (@Edward Snowden) 1488908222.0
The CIA reports show the USG developing vulnerabilities in US products, then intentionally keeping the holes open. Reckless beyond words.— Edward Snowden (@Edward Snowden) 1488908962.0
PSA: This incorrectly implies CIA hacked these apps / encryption. But the docs show iOS/Android are what got hacked… https://t.co/iMhyPVD7kk— Edward Snowden (@Edward Snowden) 1488905305.0
The last time this issue made headlines was in the fallout of the San Bernadino shooting when the U.S. government tried to compel Apple to assist in accessing the shooter’s phone in the name of national security. Apple declined, stating that act would undercut the public’s faith in not just Apple’s willingness to maintain privacy, but all companies.
If what Snowden’s saying here is true – that the U.S. government is hacking the software of U.S.-made products – that might all be moot, as they’ll gain access without assistance. And the “holes” that they leave open can allow other rogue hackers to gain the same access in pursuit of whatever ends they seek.
Why is this dangerous? Because until closed, any hacker can use the security hole the CIA left open to break into a… https://t.co/AqiqP67pUl— Edward Snowden (@Edward Snowden) 1488909315.0
Evidence mounts showing CIA & FBI knew about catastrophic weaknesses in the most-used smartphones in America, but k… https://t.co/0rMfGL4RK3— Edward Snowden (@Edward Snowden) 1488914350.0
Boiled down, his observations, however insightful, tell us what most of us already presumed – the U.S. government cares more about information gathering than it does about the privacy of its citizens. Perhaps not a revelation, but hopefully this concrete evidence, if true, will result in answers and explanations.
Never one to leave us on an upbeat note, Snowden let us know the many, many ways the government could be peering into your life.
Imagine a world where the actual CIA spends its time figuring out how to spy on you through your TV. That's today. https://t.co/dQHBrsyIoI— Edward Snowden (@Edward Snowden) 1488917862.0
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