Edward Lord Mount Snowden. (Or whatever he's called)

[grytters]

Oops!

http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/2013 ... 230476.htm


HKSAR Government issues statement on Edward Snowden
***************************************************

Dear Uncle Barack

The HKSAR Government today (June 23) issued the following statement on Mr Edward Snowden:

Mr Edward Snowden left Hong Kong today (June 23) on his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel.

The US Government earlier on made a request to the HKSAR Government for the issue of a provisional warrant of arrest against Mr Snowden. Since the documents provided by the US Government did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law, the HKSAR Government has requested the US Government to provide additional information so that the Department of Justice could consider whether the US Government's request can meet the relevant legal conditions. As the HKSAR Government has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong.

The HKSAR Government has already informed the US Government of Mr Snowden's departure.

Meanwhile, the HKSAR Government has formally written to the US Government requesting clarification on earlier reports about the hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by US government agencies. The HKSAR Government will continue to follow up on the matter so as to protect the legal rights of the people of Hong Kong.
Ends/Sunday, June 23, 2013
Issued at HKT 16:05

NNNN

Lots of love Chun-ying.

[grytters]

And that place he left Hong Kong for through those legal channels?

That well known defender of the rights of citizens to expose the excesses and spying on friendly nations through their security services without fear or let of prosecution?

Yep. - Moscow!

[fozzovmurton]

And that place he left Hong Kong for through those legal channels?

That well known defender of the rights of citizens to expose the excesses and spying on friendly nations through their security services without fear or let of prosecution?

Yep. - Moscow!

So by becoming a guest of Comrade Putin, there goes probably any hope of the US. extraditing him

Marxista Fozz

[lo36789]

right then, might as well see where people stand on this topic.

Who thinks Snowden is a hero/should be knighted for what he did and thinks the snooping was such a terrible crime/secret?

Personal view on it. Not really suprised or bothered for that matter. Don't really know what people expect intelligence agencies to be doing when the internet exists? Actually relatively glad that they are not just relying on public information.

[MikeinBlack2]

End of the day anyone who doesn't believe that just about every nation on earth snoops, keeps records, checks up on, and/or generally watches over it's citizens is naive at best. In this day and age of techno I would be flabbergasted if the powers that be don't know lots about individuals.

Let's be honest anyway, the vast majority of people in the western world are only really bothered if their mortgage/rent is paid, if their wages go in on time and they can afford an holiday now and then etc etc etc.

If you haven't done anything wrong, then there's no issue is there really.

[MikeinBlack2]

And that place he left Hong Kong for through those legal channels?

That well known defender of the rights of citizens to expose the excesses and spying on friendly nations through their security services without fear or let of prosecution?

Yep. - Moscow!

So by becoming a guest of Comrade Putin, there goes probably any hope of the US. extraditing him

Marxista Fozz

Apparently he will go on from Russia to Cuba and then to Ecuador I believe, where he can log on to Wikileaks to his hearts content or until the Ecuadorians get bored and come to a back hand agreement with Uncle Sam and either hand him over or turn a blind eye when the CIA/FBI/Navy seals etc go and get him.

[fozzovmurton]

I think the man is an idiot, did he think he would get away with it, but it is not exactly like he has gone public about stuff we didnt think had been going on for years anyway, I knew an amateur 2 bit hacker a few years ago, who was being watched by the US authorities and probably GCHQ at the time, so Snowdens revelation is not exactly a shock...

Maybe he should answer for his crimes, what charges is he facing anyway, Treason and/or Espionage, among the worst crimes to commit on your country, he has s*** on America big time. It wont be looking for him if America get hold of him, and will be dealt with harshly, I think the death penalty could be applied for his crimes, but more than likely life without parole in a Supermax Jail

I personally think Hong Kong could have done more, I know Hong Kong said they werent satisfied with the request, but surely they could have placed under arrest and give the Americans a bit more time to get the extradition request in order, and Beijing could have surely stepped in and sorted it.

Bradley Manning is currently having to face up to his crimes after getting caught, so should Edward Snowden, regardless of what people think, he is a criminal, he has the broke the law, he should grow some balls, be a man and accept what comes his way.

I wonder what twists are left in this saga, he never boarded his plane to Cuba or Venezuela, whereever he was headed

[Ash_Quaker]

Bradley Manning is currently having to face up to his crimes after getting caught, so should Edward Snowden, regardless of what people think, he is a criminal, he has the broke the law, he should grow some balls, be a man and accept what comes his way.

Bradley Manning was by definition tortured before being found guilty of any crime. Somehow I don't think ''growing some balls'' has weighed heavy on Snowden's conscience.... or his ball sack presumably.

[lo36789]

I think he sort of realised what was going to happen to him. That the reason why he was over in Hong Kong 2 weeks before letting the newspapers reveal his identity. There is an interview somewhere and he basically said he will be reprimanded for it and he fully expected to be.

That interview coupled with wanting to be identified before going on this ridiculous chase around the world makes me think he wanted the publicity. He wants to be chased, otherwise he'd have submitted his papers for asylum to Ecuador on the day of the announcement and stood outside the border awaiting entry.

It's difficult to say whether he wants the coverage to be on him because he wants the publicity, or whether he's doing it to keep his cause in the spotlight. We'll probably never know.

The only thing that has come out of it that has raised question marks is the US have given assurance they are only spying on people based abroad, who knows if they kept up the surveillance on those in the States then Boston may never have happened.

[Ash_Quaker]

I think he sort of realised what was going to happen to him. That the reason why he was over in Hong Kong 2 weeks before letting the newspapers reveal his identity. There is an interview somewhere and he basically said he will be reprimanded for it and he fully expected to be.

That interview coupled with wanting to be identified before going on this ridiculous chase around the world makes me think he wanted the publicity. He wants to be chased, otherwise he'd have submitted his papers for asylum to Ecuador on the day of the announcement and stood outside the border awaiting entry.

It's difficult to say whether he wants the coverage to be on him because he wants the publicity, or whether he's doing it to keep his cause in the spotlight. We'll probably never know.

The only thing that has come out of it that has raised question marks is the US have given assurance they are only spying on people based abroad, who knows if they kept up the surveillance on those in the States then Boston may never have happened.

Section 215 allows the US Government to spy on anyone in the name of "preventing international terrorism". With this term being left so vague as to not specify what this includes, The US government are now able to do the following:

-Record and store every US Citizens phonecalls (justifying it by specifying any person to be possibly linked with an investigation into international terrorism)

- "demand of a communications service provider the name, address, length of service and local and long distance toll billing records of a person or entity"
(This is justified again by stating that it is relevant in an investigation to prevent national terrorism)

The same reason used to allow the storing of phonecalls can also be then used for storing credit and billing history.


Is this fair lo? Or a step too far?

[lo36789]

Section 215 allows the US Government to spy on anyone in the name of "preventing international terrorism". With this term being left so vague as to not specify what this includes, The US government are now able to do the following:

-Record and store every US Citizens phonecalls (justifying it by specifying any person to be possibly linked with an investigation into international terrorism)

- "demand of a communications service provider the name, address, length of service and local and long distance toll billing records of a person or entity"
(This is justified again by stating that it is relevant in an investigation to prevent national terrorism)

The same reason used to allow the storing of phonecalls can also be then used for storing credit and billing history.

Is this fair lo? Or a step too far?

I don't feel it is unfair. The things you mentioned there are hardly difficult to obtain, people will give away access to credit and billing history from the most obvious phishing scams!

As for recording of phone calls. Unfortunately in the world there are bad people. I trust there are enough bad people to keep them occupied that they won't get bored enough to listen to me!

[Ash]

Hero.

Face up to his crimes? He hasn't committed any, at least not the ones he has been charged with. He passed the docs to his own people not a foreign power.

Don't forget that the documents he released showed that many people in the NSA, CIA and government actually lied to their own congress under oath - that is a crime. Have they been charged? Nope.

Nothing to hide, nothing to fear? Rubbish. There are lots of things in my life I wouldn't want people reading that have zero to do with criminal activity. I also don't buy the argument that you have to give liberties up to protect liberty.

Bradley Manning released video evidence of murders occurring that were to go unpunished. Yes murder. Again he did not profit from his actions. He was not working with a foreign power.

[Stu_1]

He is both a criminal and a hero, depending on which side of things you stand. From an official point of view he has broken several laws in the US, same as if he had been here in England.

Upon signing up to work for the NSA he will have signed a disclosure, similar to the official secrets act here, and known exactly what the outcome of this would be!

[lo36789]

Put simply. If I broke some of the confidentiality agreements I have at work it wouldn't just be my job on the line.

If I went to the press with it I would imagine that some sort of legal case brought against me.

[grytters]

He is both a criminal and a hero, depending on which side of things you stand. From an official point of view he has broken several laws in the US, same as if he had been here in England.

Upon signing up to work for the NSA he will have signed a disclosure, similar to the official secrets act here, and known exactly what the outcome of this would be!

Not entirely.

As a "whistleblower" you'd have a defence of acting in the public interest (in the UK at least).


And he didn't "sign up up work for the NSA - he worked for one of their subcontractors - which highlights the risks of outsourcing work which rational people would think under the purview of government.

[Stu_1]

He is both a criminal and a hero, depending on which side of things you stand. From an official point of view he has broken several laws in the US, same as if he had been here in England.

Upon signing up to work for the NSA he will have signed a disclosure, similar to the official secrets act here, and known exactly what the outcome of this would be!

Not entirely.

As a "whistleblower" you'd have a defence of acting in the public interest (in the UK at least).


And he didn't "sign up up work for the NSA - he worked for one of their subcontractors - which highlights the risks of outsourcing work which rational people would think under the purview of government.

He may not have been a direct NSA employee, but will still have signed confidentiality agreements due to the sensitivity of the information he was working with, as will subcontractors of every government department!

[grytters]

He is both a criminal and a hero, depending on which side of things you stand. From an official point of view he has broken several laws in the US, same as if he had been here in England.

Upon signing up to work for the NSA he will have signed a disclosure, similar to the official secrets act here, and known exactly what the outcome of this would be!

Not entirely.

As a "whistleblower" you'd have a defence of acting in the public interest (in the UK at least).


And he didn't "sign up up work for the NSA - he worked for one of their subcontractors - which highlights the risks of outsourcing work which rational people would think under the purview of government.

He may not have been a direct NSA employee, but will still have signed confidentiality agreements due to the sensitivity of the information he was working with, as will subcontractors of every government department!

Confidentiality agreements are irrelevant (in the UK at least - the US does have different laws) as he has the defence of "public interest".

If he's found his employer (or his employer's client, in this case the government) has broken the law then he's got the right to make this information public.

[fozzovmurton]

Wonder how long this will be dragged on for, see he has said he intends to apply for political asylum in Russia, seems like the Russkies want nothing muchto do with him, but will not hand him over either

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