Home / Quotes / Quote by Edward Snowden

Quote by Edward Snowden

“When I was working in Japan, I created a system for ensuring that intelligence data was globally recoverable in the event of a disaster. I was not aware of the scope of mass surveillance. I came across some legal questions when I was creating it. My superiors pushed back and were like, "Well, how are we going to deal with this data?" And I was like, "I didn't even know it existed."”

Quote by Edward Snowden

Author

Edward Snowden, born on June 21, 1983, is a system administrator. He is renowned for his disclosure of the global surveillance programs of the United States National Security Agency (NSA). In 2013, he leaked a large number of documents about these programs, which sparked widespread international attention. more

You May Also Like

“Being confronted with the realization that work you intended to benefit people is being used against them has a radicalizing effect.”

People Used Effects Benefits Realization

Author:Edward Snowden

“It's interesting that you mention [Andrei] Sakharov's creative axis - he had produced something for the government that he then realized was something other than he intended. That's something [NSA whistleblower] Bill Binney and I share.”

Government Interesting Creative Share Bills Nsa Axes Whistleblowers

Author:Edward Snowden

“[Bill] Binney designed ThinThread, an NSA program that used encryption to try to make mass surveillance less objectionable. It would still have been unlawful and unconstitutional.”

Trying Has Beens Stills Used Mass Program Bills Surveillance Nsa Unconstitutional Unlawful Encryption

Author:Edward Snowden

“[Bill] Binney will argue with you all day about ThinThread, but his idea was that it would collect everything about everybody but be immediately encrypted so no one could read it. Only a court could give intelligence officials the key to decrypt it. The idea was to find a kind of a compromise between [privacy rights and] the assertion that if you don't collect things as they happen, you won't have them later - because what the NSA really wants is the capability of retrospective investigation.”

Ifs Want Giving Kind Ideas Happens Rights Keys Bills Court Arguing Compromise Officials Privacy Capability Investigation Assertion Nsa Retrospective

Author:Edward Snowden

“What the NSA really wants is the capability of retrospective investigation. They want to have a perfect record of the last five years of your life, so when you come to their attention, they can know everything about you. I'm not down with that, but [Bill] Binney was trying to create something like that.”

Knows Want Trying Years Lasts Perfect Attention Records Five Bills Five Years Capability Investigation Nsa Retrospective Last Five Years

Author:Edward Snowden

“US administration does not want me to return. People forget how I ended up in Russia. They waited until I departed Hong Kong to cancel my passport in order to trap me in Russia, because it's the most effective attack they have against me, given the political climate in the United States.”

People Want Doe States Political Order Given Forget United United States Return Climate Russia Administration Want Me Traps Passports Hong Kong Departed

Author:Edward Snowden

“I've talked to a lot of pretty good lawyers around the world. I'm non-extraditable. That's the real reason the US government was pissed off, even when I was initially in Hong Kong.”

World Real Reason Government Lawyer Around The World Hong Kong Pissed Off Good Lawyer

Author:Edward Snowden

“The only way I could be extradited is through the principle of what my lawyers call "politics trumps law."”

Way Law Principles Trump Lawyer

Author:Edward Snowden

“If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political crime. A political crime, in legal terms, is defined as any crime against a state, as opposed to against an individual. Assassination, for example, is not a political crime because you've killed a person, an individual, and they've been harmed; their family's been harmed. But the state itself, you can't be extradited for harming it.”

Ifs Persons States Law Political Individual Term Crime Example Defined Espionage Assassination Quintessential

Author:Edward Snowden

“Chelsea Manning got thirty-five years in prison, while I'm still free.”

Years Stills Five Prison Thirty Five Years Chelsea

Author:Edward Snowden