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What happened to the Snowden archive

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  1. firesteelrain · · focus · HN ↗
    People became ambivalent. Snowden fled eventually to Russia. Some people viewed him less relevant over time as the archive merely trickled out. When he fled to Russia, he looked less like a martyr and more like a national security information leaker or spy like Robert

    A lot of what sounded extraordinary in 2013 is now baked into everyday discussion like metadata and mass surveillance. He is also available less for interviews because he is in Russia.

    Basically bigger fish to fry

    1. unsungNovelty · · focus · HN ↗
      He didn't "flee" to Russia. His passport was renounced/revoked/disabled while he was on his way to the original destination. He got stuck in the Russian airport for a freaking long time in a small room while the govt made sure he can't go anywhere else. Good Lord, fled to Russia it seems.
      1. INTPenis · · focus · HN ↗
        That's how it looks at least. It's a good excuse if your goal was always to flee to Russia.
        1. atemerev · · focus · HN ↗
          As someone who emigrated from Russia and don't want to ever return here (nor I will be able to unless I want to spend my life in jail), I don't understand how anyone could possibly want to voluntarily "flee to Russia". Doesn't compute.
          1. INTPenis · · focus · HN ↗
            Well it sort of hints that Snowden was a Russian agent from the start.

            And maybe that's why the Snowden documents are not being fully released, because they've gone from responsible disclosure to irresponsible disclosure.

            I'm 100% convinced the US is evil imperialists, but in this particular case the "Snowden being a Russian agent"-angle isn't finding much resistance.

            1. dijit · · focus · HN ↗
              its just too convenient.

              If your goal is to discredit Snowden if you cant catch him, revoking his passport is a total win, he can’t flee to any neutral country (if there even is one that wouldn’t bend to the US) and wherever he lands is an enemy of the US. Russia or China make no material difference, but it’s a bit too “smart” of Snowden for his passport to be revoked while he was laying over en-route to Ecuador... It’s 3D chess when he doesn’t have the ability to move pieces.

              I mean: We know his flight details, we know when his passport was revoked, and we know he can’t revoke his own passport, so that leaves very few plausible avenues.

              1. firesteelrain · · focus · HN ↗
                He could have returned to the US. His citizenship wasn’t revoked.
                1. IAmBroom · · focus · HN ↗
                  At the cost of immediate and longterm imprisonment.

                  Decisions made at gunpoint are not usually preplanned choices.

                  1. firesteelrain · · focus · HN ↗
                    It was his choice to leak as himself. He could have used whistleblower routes (which was investigated and he only sent 1 email but never reported it)

                    Really have to question his motives

                    1. palata · · focus · HN ↗
                      > He could have used whistleblower routes

                      Against... the NSA. Do you genuinely believe that anyone could leak that amount of NSA data anonymously?

                      1. firesteelrain · · focus · HN ↗
                        It’s wasn’t anonymous back then iirc
                        1. palata · · focus · HN ↗
                          > I wasn’t advocating for leaking anything

                          What is whistleblowing, then?

                          1. firesteelrain · · focus · HN ↗
                            There are secure ways to whistleblow inside the org he was in and not to the press and not to Congress itself. He didn’t use those avenues.
                            1. butlike · · focus · HN ↗
                              Who do you leak to when you believe even your organization is compromised/complicit? Who watches the watchmen? He chose 'the people' and I can't fault him for it.
                              1. firesteelrain · · focus · HN ↗
                                You report it to the Inspector General (IG). How are you not familiar with it ? Snowden even talked to them before not about this but something else. He is a traitor. The other stuff he leaked had nothing to do with Americans “privacy concerns”. It was fairly minor
                                1. butlike · · focus · HN ↗
                                  Funny, I consider him a national hero. Agree to disagree I guess.
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