Quotessence
Home / Authors / Edward Snowden
Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden Quotes

System Administrator

Filter quotes by topic

AllGovernmentPeopleIfsNsaInternetStatesSurveillanceWorldCountryThinkingWantRightsUnitedLawUnited StatesNeedsGovernment SpyingWayKnowsMass

Famous Edward Snowden Quotes

“As a technologist, I see the trends, and I see that automation inevitably is going to mean fewer and fewer jobs. And if we do not find a way to provide a basic income for people who have no work, or no meaningful work, we’re going to have social unrest that could get people killed. When we have increasing production - year after year after year - some of that needs to be reinvested in society.”

PeopleIfsWayNeedsYearsMeanJobsSocialProductionsMeaningfulIncomeTrendsFewerUnrestMeaningful WorkAutomationSocial Unrest
Author:Edward Snowden
Create image

“Nobody needs to justify why they "need" a right: the burden of justification falls on the one seeking to infringe upon the right. But even if they did, you can't give away the rights of others because they're not useful to you. More simply, the majority cannot vote away the natural rights of the minority. Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say.”

NeedsGivingDifferentCareFallNaturalRightsSpeechVoteMajoritySeekingBurdenDon't CareArguingPrivacyMinoritiesJustifyJustificationFree SpeechNatural RightsRight To Privacy
Author:Edward Snowden
Create image

“No one would argue that it's in the United States' interest to have independent knowledge of the plans and intentions of foreign countries. But we need to think about where to draw the line on these kind of operations so we're not always attacking our allies, the people we trust, the people we need to rely on, and to have them in turn rely on us.”

PeopleThinkingNeedsKindCountryStatesTurnsInterestLinesUnitedUnited StatesPlansDrawsIndependentIntentionArguingOperationsRelyAlliesAttackingForeign Countries
Author:Edward Snowden
Create image

“We need to make sure that whenever we're engaging in a cyber-warfare campaign, a cyber-espionage campaign in the United States, that we understand the word cyber is used as a euphemism for the internet, because the American public would not be excited to hear that we're doing internet warfare campaigns, internet espionage campaigns, because we realize that we ourselves are impacted by it.”

NeedsStatesUsedRealizingUnitedUnited StatesInternetExcitedCampaignsWarfareEngagingEspionageCyberEuphemismCyber Warfare
Author:Edward Snowden
Create image

“The United States need to put internet processes, policies, and procedures in place with real laws that forbid going beyond the borders of what's reasonable to ensure that the only time that we and other countries around the world exercise these authorities are when it is absolutely necessary.”

WorldNeedsRealCountryStatesLawProcessUnitedUnited StatesPolicyInternetExerciseAuthorityAround The WorldBordersReasonableOther CountriesOnly TimeProceduresPolicies And Procedures
Author:Edward Snowden
Create image

“What we need to do is we need to create new international standards of behavior - not just national laws, because this is a global problem. We can't just fix it in the United States, because there are other countries that don't follow U.S. laws. We have to create international standards that say that cyber attacks should only ever occur when it is absolutely necessary.”

NeedsShouldCountryStatesProblemLawUnitedUnited StatesBehaviorStandardsInternationalOther CountriesCyberCyber Attacks
Author:Edward Snowden
Create image

“I built my own studio. I don't have the professional language to describe it because I'm not a videographer - but I'm a technician. So I get the camera, I get all the things that translate the camera to the computer, I set up a live session, I do the security on it, I set up a background so I can key it out, like newscasters do, and replace it with whatever I want - and I can be anywhere I need to be.”

WantNeedsI CanLanguageMy OwnSecurityKeysComputerBuiltCamerasStudiosBackgroundsTranslateSessionTechnicians
Author:Edward Snowden
Create image

“I think it's reasonable that the government, when it has a warrant from a court, when it's exposed to scrutiny by a legal process that would be upheld, not just nationally, but internationally as a reliable and robust standard rights protection, they can enjoy certain powers. This is no different from having the police able to get a warrant to go and search your house, to kick at your door because they think you're an arms dealer or something like that. There needs to be a process involved, it needs to be public, and it needs to be challengeable in court at all times.”

ThinkingNeedsDifferentGovernmentWould BeAbleCertainHouseProcessEnjoyRightsDoorsArmsInvolvedStandardsPoliceCourtProtectionAll TimeKicksReasonableExposedDealerScrutinyRobustWarrants
Author:Edward Snowden
Create image

“Sometimes that irrational commitment to principle is what society needs to survive. Whenever you talk about radicalism, whenever you talk about activism, whenever you talk about progressive activity, that sort of moves the measure of liberty in human society forward, makes us all enjoy a better standard of liberty, it typically starts out criminal. It typically starts out a little bit shaky, and rather radical. And that's irrational to put yourself up to do that.”

NeedsHumansLittlesSometimesMovingBitsEnjoyLibertyPrinciplesActivityLittle BitStandardsCommitmentActivismCriminalsRadicalProgressiveIrrationalHuman SocietyRadicalism
Author:Edward Snowden
Create image

“When we have some horrible terrorist attacks happen in some country we see in the recording that follows, that the intelligence community already knew about these people in advance. We know that these countries were involved in intelligence sharing premiums, that they benefited from mass surveillance, and yet they didn't stop the attacks. Yet at the same time we immediately see intelligence officials running to the newspapers and claiming that we need more surveillance, that we need more intrusion, that we need more expense of powers because it could have stopped an attack.”

PeopleKnowsNeedsCountryHappensRunningCommunityInvolvedMassTerroristNewspapersHorribleOfficialsExpensesSurveillanceTerrorist AttacksIntrusionIntelligence Community
Author:Edward Snowden
Create image

“The great fear that I have regarding the outcome for America of these disclosures is that nothing will change. [People] won't be willing to take the risks necessary to stand up and fight to change things And in the months ahead, the years ahead, it's only going to get worse. [The NSA will] say that because of the crisis, the dangers that we face in the world, some new and unpredicted threat, we need more authority, we need more power, and there will be nothing the people can do at that point to oppose it. And it will be turnkey tyranny.”

PeopleWorldNeedsYearsAmericaFacesFightingCan DoRiskDangerWillingMonthsAuthorityCrisisThreatTyrannyOutcomesNsaDisclosureGovernment Spying
Author:Edward Snowden
Create image

“My case clearly demonstrates the need for comprehensive whistleblower protection act reform. If we had had a real process in place, and reports of wrongdoing could be taken to real, independent arbiters rather than captured officials, I might not have had to sacrifice so much to do what at this point even the President seems to agree needed to be done.”

IfsNeedsRealDoneSeemsMightProcessPresidentCasesTakenSacrificeNeededIndependentAgreeProtectionReformOfficialsReportsComprehensiveCapturedWrongdoingArbiterWhistleblowers
Author:Edward Snowden
Create image