Tags
Brazil, Edward Snowden, ethics, National Security Administration, NSA, Open Letter to the Brazilian People, Person of the Year, spying, State Secrecy, surveillance, The Guardian, The United States
“Today, if you carry a cell phone in Sao Paolo, the NSA can and does keep track of your location: they do this 5 billion times a day to people around the world. When someone in Florianopolis visits a website, the NSA keeps a record of when it happened and what you did there. If a mother in Porto Alegre calls her son to wish him luck on his university exam, NSA can keep that call log for five years or more. They even keep track of who is having an affair or looking at pornography, in case they need to damage their target’s reputation.
American Senators tell us that Brazil should not worry, because this is not ‘surveillance,’ it’s ‘data collection.’ They say it is done to keep you safe. They’re wrong. There is a huge difference between legal programs, legitimate spying, legitimate law enforcement — where individuals are targeted based on a reasonable, individualized suspicion — and these programs of dragnet mass surveillance that put entire populations under an all-seeing eye and save copies forever. These programs were never about terrorism: they’re about economic spying, social control, and diplomatic manipulation. They’re about power…
[After leaking documents] I was told my government had made me stateless and wanted to imprison me. The price for my speech was my passport, but I would pay it again: I will not be the one to ignore criminality for the sake of political comfort. I would rather be without a state than without a voice.”
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From Edward Snowden’s Open Letter to the Brazilian People.
Although I like Francis, my nomination for person of the year is Mr. Snowden, the man who did something in 2013 which was not only fascinating, but brave.
Read on:
Why the Obama Administration Is Wrong about Ed Snowden
In Today’s News: Bridling the Surveillance State
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Snowden’s revelations destroyed all illusions I had left of our government and the real power behind our ruling parties. We-the-people are now completely under the control of the state. The Powers-That-Be have the wherewithal to re-construct our lives as they deem fit.
In our ignorance, we-the-working-class continue to scurry like rats to buy cheap stuff to fill our dens.
Joe Kaminski said:
Reblogged this on The Forum.
danielmullin81 said:
Agreed. Francis is perhaps too safe a choice. As you say, Snowden did something very important at great personal cost. He’s the person of the year in my book.
navigator1965 said:
The “data collection” theme suggests a coordinated “info op” for damage control purposes. The term “police state” does come to mind.