Greenwald: Snowden Intel Bomb Will Go Off If ‘Something Happens’ To Him

[Segami]

Glenn Greenwald, the Guardian writer who cultivated Edward Snowden as a source and has broken numerous stories about the nature and extent of secret U.S. surveillance programs, says harmful national security information will be released automatically if "something happens" to the notorious NSA leaker.

"Snowden has enough information to cause harm to the U.S. government in a single minute than any other person has ever had," Greenwald said in an interview with the Argentinean paper La Nacion. "The U.S. government should be on its knees every day begging that nothing happen to Snowden, because if something does happen to him, all the information will be revealed and it could be its worst nightmare."

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE96C08Q20130713?irpc=932

It's the most explicit confirmation yet that among the documents Snowden sneaked out of the NSA are some that could harm the U.S. and that these are being used as leverage against the United States as the government seeks his arrest and extradition. It's unclear what actions would trigger such an indiscriminate, mass leak, and who would authorize or execute it.



http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/greenwald-snowden-intel-bomb-will-go-off-if

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[flamingdem]

1. Greenwald has officially screwed the pooch with his comments

Imagine if he threatened his government like that if he lived in Russia, China, Venezuela?

Tossed in the pokey for life, at a minimum.

[Mojorabbit]

38. Nah, because in another thread it is shown

that reuters cherry picked comments and left off the , "But that is not his goal". It is possible there have been death threats and if so the comment would make sense. No one has screwed any pooch.

[trumad]

2. Let me tell you something Glenn...

You better hope that info doesn't get people killed.

[FarCenter]

3. Greenwald would be so happy if something happens to Snowden; then he gets the decryption keys.

[flamingdem]

9. Do you understand how that works? Who releases the keys

to him and doesn't he need a hacker to unencrypt?

[FarCenter]

19. The keys could be under control of an accomplice or a watchdog server

So long as the accomplice believes that Snowden is alive and not under severe duress, the accomplice keeps the keys in their sealed, stamped, and pre-addressed envelopes. If the accomplice believes that Snowden is dead or under duress, then the accomplice drops the envelopes in the mail. The recipients use the keys to decrypt the archives of information that they have received previously. No hacker would be needed.

In an automated system, the watchdog server periodically checks to see if Snowden is OK as evidenced by a message from Snowden left somewhere in infospace. If it doesn't get the OK message, the watchdog server sends the decryption key to the holders of the archives. These might also be servers which decrypt their archives and broadcast the archives widely.

The problems to be solved by implementations are:
- how to keep the adversary from finding and deleting all the archives,
- how to keep the adversary from intercepting the keys,
- how to keep the adversary from locating the watchdog(s).

[flamingdem]

20. Thanks

Though Greenwald is in Brazil so the literal mailing is probably not going to be the method. Email seems more likely. Sounds like Wikileaks is in the middle somehow

[FarCenter]

23. It's not always straightforward

How Julian Assange Totally Lost Control Of 250,000 US Diplomatic Cables

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/huge-wikileaks-secuirity-breach-causes-unredacted-documents-to-flood-the-web-2011-9

[leveymg]

36. Greenwald is the last person who would have the key. Try harder.

[FarCenter]

40. Greenwald may have access to an encrypted archive and may hope to be on the key distribution list

Read more carefully.

[leveymg]

47. Greenwald is too public and too vulnerable to hold the key.

He almost certainly has access to an encrypted copy. But, he doesn't control it.

[arcane1]

4. Blackmail? With threats of harm?

[Catherina]

5. The old insurance files. Brilliant. At this point all the liars can do is wait for the drip, drip

they make it go from light snow to an avalanche.

Snowden “has taken extreme precautions to make sure many different people around the world have these archives to insure the stories will inevitably be published.” Greenwald added that the people in possession of these files “cannot access them yet because they are highly encrypted and they do not have the passwords.” But, Greenwald said, “if anything happens at all to Edward Snowden, he told me he has arranged for them to get access to the full archives.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/25/greenwald-snowden-s-files-are-out-there-if-anything-happens-to-him.html

[allin99]

6. but snowden's already said that he's done that. and he said it without all this drama...

that gg is insisting on. he said it i believe over a month ago. So what is gg rambling about? Heck, talk about putting a bullseye on Snowden's back! Hey, anyone who doesn't like the U.S., take out snowden.

[DevonRex]

8. Yep. Good reason for our enemies to take Snowden out. And he's in Russia NOW.

In Putin's hands. What would Putin give to know what else is out there?

[arely staircase]

42. Good point. Snowden probably just increased the entities wanting him dead exponentially. nt

[JaneyVee]

28. You think bringing the US Govt to its knees is brilliant?

[Scurrilous]

44. Amazing isn't it. n/t

[Stargazer09]

7. Starved for attention?

Greenwald is becoming rather obnoxious. I wonder if he's actually the one afraid for his life, and he's trying to make himself feel better.

[allin99]

11. definitely starved for attention, and for sure obnoxious...

does he not realize the things that that statement could do to snowden? either he's so fucking stupid that he doesn't, or he just doesn't care.

[MjolnirTime]

10. Something is going to happen to him. He'll be tried, convicted, and sentenced to prison.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. Now, THAT is "holding his feet to the fire". Simple solution, give Snowden his passport and call

off the dogs.

[DevonRex]

14. Greenwald is gonna get Snowden killed by our enemies who

want us brought to our knees.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

16. The NSA/CIA/Homeland Security, et al, are bring this nation to it's knees.

Not the whistleblower and journalist who turned the lights on them.

[randome]

26. Right. All federal law enforcement operations will suddenly cease.

Because Snowden showed a few PowerPoint slides.

The End is near!
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

32. No. A government that fears its own people enough to spy on them is fragile.

And, if a "few PowerPoint" are so benign and dismissible, why the pursuit?

[woo me with science]

33. [phone]

Last edited Sat Jul 13, 2013, 05:17 PM - Edit history (1)

Every previous whistleblower who has attempted to go through official channels was summarily squelched. Thank goodness Snowden learned from their experiences and has taken precautions both to protect himself and to ensure the information gets to the people.

The relentless smear propaganda campaign across the media and the internet, and the government's taking the outrageous steps of interrupting the flight of a President of a sovereign nation and trying to exert pressure in other countries to silence Snowden's voice, make it clear how afraid they are, and how desperate to manage and contain these revelations.

[xiamiam]

39. and we learn from the white house presser that they consider snowden speaking as propaganda

fuhget about free speech or free press or even a fair trial..

[Segami]

41. "Propaganda"?....LOL!

propaganda |ˌpräpəˈgandə|

noun

1 chiefly derogatory information, esp. of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view:

• the dissemination of such information as a political strategy: the party's leaders believed that a long period of education and propaganda would be necessary.

I guess the gubment has never had to resort to such "free speech" tactics against it own citizens?....

[GeorgeGist]

13. Greenwald is an idiot.

[zbdent]

15. By his own "revelations" ...

wouldn't he realize that the NSA already knows not only the whereabouts of any (if existing) "bomb", but the combination of the lock which is "keeping it safe"?

[bobduca]

24. Math wins

If he has them in a file sharing service with strong crypto on the archive, then they key is secure with whomever has his "dead switch"

[zbdent]

48. NSA knows who the "dead switch" key holder is, most likely ...

if Snowden is telling the truth about how much the NSA snoops ...

[struggle4progress]

17. That doesn't sound particularly principled

[kenny blankenship]

18. I recall this being explained right from the outset. Snowden wasn't releasing everything

and material he had which was damaging -not just to the tender feelings of the US government, but to persons in the field -was not going to be released, along with other documents, the nature of which wasn't mentioned. This material was in placed in the hands of 3rd parties -wikileaks? journalists? lawyers?
But those who had the material couldn't read it because it was encrypted.
If something like an unfortunate accident or surprise extradition or kidnapping were to happen to Snowden, the encryption keys would then be automatically released to those holding copies of the files.
So, some parties, presumably lawyers and human rights activists in other countries are entrusted with the keys, and other parties, presumably newspapers and journalism organizations, have the files.

[flamingdem]

21. Wikileaks has dumped indiscriminately before

and they're mad as hell now about their snowboy

[Savannahmann]

22. So of course, in an effort to keep our secrets

We'll have to have him arrested immediately. Or so goes the theory from the Lock him up apologists, the 45% who think he's a criminal.

[KittyWampus]

25. Now I kind of hope something does happen to Snowden so we can find out the info Greenwald

is holding "in reserve".

[ChangeUp106]

27. I'm so tired of Snowden

Just make it stop. Please. Every thread on DU. Every segment on TYT. Every other post on the blogs.

The things that the govt. is doing that he exposed is wrong, but I'm sick of hearing about this guy and seeing that same damn picture of him on every website. I'm sick of Greenwald too. It's for attention at this point.

[AllINeedIsCoffee]

30. Interesting.

[bushisanidiot]

31. Greenwal and snowden are sounding more and more like terrorists

With their threats, demands, and accusations.

[KittyWampus]

34. How would Greenwald know it was the USA who did something to Snowden?

Maybe Russia or China or whomever might do something to him so Greenwald will follow through on his threat and bring the USA to its knees.

[Lil Missy]

35. The media needs to stop giving Greenwald a platform to spew this crap.

[Waiting For Everyman]

37. Maybe keeping Snowden stuck in Russia wasn't and isn't so smart after all.

Snowden has arranged mutually assured destruction between himself and the Surveillance State. It's something the US understands so well. Or should -- since it was the premise of the whole Cold War.

Well played.


Added bonus that it makes the spineless Sycophants of the Surveillance State boo hoo hoo all over the place. 'Cos when they're sad it's good for the Constitution.

[arely staircase]

43. So anybody who wishes ill upon the US has a reason want Snowden dead now?

That was a very dumb thing for him to have communicated.

[Scurrilous]

45. Mightily heroic of you Glenn!

[Galraedia]

46. Greenwald issues blackmail threat: