“The government must give proper weight to both keeping America safe from terrorists and protecting Americans' privacy. But when Americans lack the most basic information about our domestic surveillance programs, they have no way of knowing whether we're getting that balance right. This lack of transparency is a big problem.” WayGivingProblemBigsGovernmentAmericaKnowingInformationBalanceSafeProgramWeightTerroristPrivacyTransparencySurveillanceBig Problems Author:Al Franken
“Ending mass surveillance of private phone calls under the Patriot Act is a historic victory for the rights of every citizen. Yet while we have reformed this one program, many others remain.” RightsVictoryCitizensMassProgramPhonesPatriotHistoricSurveillancePhone CallsNsaPatriot Act Author:Edward Snowden
“Internet exchanges and internet service providers - international fiber optic landing points - these are the key tools that governments go after in order to enable their programs of mass surveillance. If they want to be able to watch the entire population of a country instead of a single individual, you have to go after those bulk interchanges.” IfsWantCountryGovernmentAbleOrderIndividualWatchesKeysInternetMassProgramToolsInternationalPopulationSurveillanceLandingFiberProvidersInterchangeService Providers Author:Edward Snowden
“The majority of terrorist attacks that have been disrupted in the United States have been disrupted due to things like the Time Square bomber, who was caught by a hotdog vendor, not a mass surveillance program, not a cyber-espionage campaign.” Has BeensStatesUnitedUnited StatesMassProgramMajorityCaughtDuesCampaignsTerroristSquaresSurveillanceEspionageTerrorist AttacksCyberBombersVendorsTimes Square Author:Edward Snowden
“There's a lot of important issues being brought to the world about America's role in proliferating weapons, about the lack of responsibility of anyone in authority in this country, you have the torture program, that NSA surveillance is Edward Snowden's fault, just like proliferation of weapons is these kids' fault. It's ridiculous, there's never any consequences, there's never any lessons learned.” WorldImportantCountryKidsAmericaResponsibilityRolesIssuesLessonsAuthorityWeaponsConsequenceProgramFaultsRidiculousTortureSurveillanceNsaProliferationImportant IssuesLesson LearnedSnowdenLack Of Responsibility Author:Guy Lawson
“[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.” TryingHas BeensStillsUsedMassProgramBillsSurveillanceNsaUnconstitutionalUnlawfulEncryption Author:Edward Snowden
“Candidates run for election on campaign promises, but once they're elected they renege on those promises, which happened with President [Barack] Obama on Guantánamo, the surveillance programs and investigating the crimes of the Bush administration. These were very serious campaign promises that were not fulfilled.” RunningPresidentHappenedCrimeSeriousPromiseProgramElectionCampaignsAdministrationBarackCandidatesFulfilledSurveillancePresident Barack ObamaInvestigating Author:Edward Snowden
“I considered bringing forward information about these surveillance programs prior to the election, but I held off because I believed that [Barack] Obama was genuine when he said he was going to change things. I wanted to give the democratic process time to work.” GivingSaidWantedProcessInformationProgramElectionDemocraticGenuineBarackSurveillanceDemocratic Process Author:Edward Snowden
“I worked with the March of Dimes to enact legislation for a national birth defects prevention program to provide surveillance, research and preventive services aimed at reducing the rate of birth defects.” BirthResearchProgramRateMarchLegislationDefectsReducingSurveillanceDimesPreventionBirth Defects Author:Solomon Ortiz
“I worked for George Bush. I'm proud to have worked for him. I think that a lot of the most controversial things we did, that people didn't like and - and criticized us for, things like the terror surveillance program or the enhanced interrogation techniques, were things that allowed us to save lives.” PeopleThinkingProudProgramTerrorTechniqueSurveillanceControversialSave A LifeInterrogationInterrogation Techniques Author:Dick Cheney