Glenn Greenwald's Blog, page 56

Major opinion shifts, in the US and Congress, on NSA surveillance and privacy | Glenn Greenwald

Pew finds that, for the first time since 9/11, Americans are now more worried about civil liberties abuses than terrorism

Numerous polls taken since our reporting on previously secret NSA activities first began have strongly suggested major public opinion shifts in how NSA surveillance and privacy are viewed. But a new comprehensive poll released over the weekend weekend by Pew Research provides the most compelling evidence yet of how stark the shift is.

Among other things, Pew finds that "a ma...

Democratic establishment unmasked: prime defenders of NSA bulk spying l Glenn Greenwald

NYT: "The Obama administration made common cause with the House Republican leadership"

One of the worst myths Democratic partisans love to tell themselves - and everyone else - is that the GOP refuses to support President Obama no matter what he does. Like its close cousin - the massively deceitful inside-DC grievance that the two parties refuse to cooperate on anything - it's hard to overstate how false this Democratic myth is. When it comes to foreign policy, war, assassinations, drones, sur...

This week in press freedoms and privacy rights | Glenn Greenwald

The travesty calling itself "the Bradley Manning court-martial", the kangaroo tribunal calling itself "the FISA court", and the emptiness of what the Obama DOJ calls "your constitutional rights"

I'm on a (much-needed) quick vacation until Sunday, so I'll just post a few brief items from what has been a busy and important week of events, particularly when it comes to press freedom and privacy:

(1) In the utter travesty known as "the Bradley Manning court-martial proceeding", the military judge p...

Email exchange between Edward Snowden and former GOP Senator Gordon Humphrey | Glenn Greenwald

"I believe you have done the right thing in exposing what I regard as massive violation of the United States Constitution"

Former two-term GOP Senator Gordon Humphrey of New Hampshire emailed Edward Snowden yesterday [emphasis added]:

Mr. Snowden,

Provided you have not leaked information that would put in harms way any intelligence agent, I believe you have done the right thing in exposing what I regard as massive violation of the United States Constitution.

Having served in the United States S...

The crux of the NSA story in one phrase: 'collect it all' | Glenn Greenwald

The actual story that matters is not hard to see: the NSA is attempting to collect, monitor and store all forms of human communication

The Washington Post this morning has a long profile of Gen. Keith Alexander, director the NSA, and it highlights the crux - the heart and soul - of the NSA stories, the reason Edward Snowden sacrificed his liberty to come forward, and the obvious focal point for any responsible or half-way serious journalists covering this story. It helpfully includes that crux...

Inside look at the internal strife over Al Jazeera America | Glenn Greenwald

As the new US network is finally set to launch, serious concerns arise about its brand and intent: especially from within the organization

(updated below)

When Al Jazeera last December purchased Current TV in order to launch its own "Al Jazeera America" (AJAM) network, it seemed clear they had two general options for how the new network's brand could be built. AJAM could embrace the traditional attributes that has made Al Jazeera, at its best, an intrepid and fearless global news organization:...

About the Reuters article | Glenn Greenwald

The latest effort to distract attention from the NSA revelations is more absurd than most

(updated below - Update II)

When you give many interviews in different countries and say essentially the same thing over and over, as I do, media outlets often attempt to re-package what you've said to make their interview seem new and newsworthy, even when it isn't. Such is the case with this Reuters article today, that purports to summarize an interview I gave to the daily newspaper La Nacion of Argentin...

How Microsoft handed the NSA access to encrypted messages

• Secret files show scale of Silicon Valley co-operation on Prism
• Outlook.com encryption unlocked even before official launch
•Skype worked to enable Prism collection of video calls
• Company says it is legally compelled to comply

Microsoft has collaborated closely with US intelligence services to allow users' communications to be intercepted, including helping the National Security Agency to circumvent the company's own encryption, according to top-secret documents obtained by the Guardian.

Th...

Revealed: how Microsoft handed the NSA access to encrypted messages

• Secret files show scale of Silicon Valley co-operation on Prism
• Outlook.com encryption unlocked even before official launch
•Skype worked to enable Prism collection of video calls
• Company says it is legally compelled to comply

Microsoft has collaborated closely with US intelligence services to allow users' communications to be intercepted, including helping the National Security Agency to circumvent the company's own encryption, according to top-secret documents obtained by the Guardian.

Th...

Snowden: I never gave any information to Chinese or Russian governments l Glenn Greenwald

As a new poll shows widespread American approval for him, the NSA whistleblower vehemently denies media claims

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, in an interview on Saturday and then again Tuesday afternoon, vehemently denied media claims that he gave classified information to the governments of China or Russia. He also denied assertions that one or both governments had succeeded in "draining the contents of his laptops". "I never gave any information to either government, and they never took a...