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U.S. files criminal charges against Snowden over leaks

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Earlier, the Washington Post reported that U.S. prosecutors have filed a sealed criminal complaint charging Snowden with espionage, theft and conversion of government property.

Just because you "openly" steal the data does not make it yours. Constitutionally the NSA has no right to it unless a warrant is issued and even then ownership is questionable. I hope this lawsuit goes thru so people can act on behalf of the defendant and sue for the value of these informations thefts + the penalty for fraud and lying.

The NSA has lost all credibility and the lawsuit should be thrown-out. Why should a judge be forced to listen to a bunch of liars who have not interest in telling the truth.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Is it possible that Snowden has compromised the fight against terrorists?

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Mr Snowden is under China's full protection in Hong Kong and he is not afraid of a prolonged lawsuit of political asylum! He has nothing to lose but gaining of 'fame' and 'big money'! He is very brilliant than Manning or Assange.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

I hope they get this guy.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

I am starting to think that American's deserve 24/7 monitoring. They mostly argue their liberal and conservative arguments, when both sides play to the same master.

If you lose your freedoms, they do not come back without revolution. Very sad to see America become a place of hope to place of despair in four decades.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

@falseflag

American's deserve 24/7 monitoring.

Oh, you think that this is an ONLY American thing, if so, you are really naive. People have suspected this for years, just creeps like Snowden came out and violated every contract agreement and started to sing like a Canary. But similar things like this are going on in Europe and elsewhere around the world too.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

If something would happen to him in Hong Kong it would be very bad for the USA. I do not see them turning him over and he shown the light of truth on who was really hacking their computers.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Way to bring the issue back to the forefront, US government! I hope he turns around and files charges right back for not only going against the constitution and several laws, but for human rights abuses the likes of which you always chide nations like China and North Korea for.

Bottom line is that the US government got caught with its pants down while thinking it's above the law it purports to uphold, and they are extremely embarrassed.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

All our governments spy on our communications. This may be embarrassing for the USA, but even if you aren't in the USA, your friendly neighborhood spooks are spying on you.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

" Bottom line is that the US government got caught with its pants down while thinking it's above the law it purports to uphold, and they are extremely embarrassed."

Good summary.

The fool Stalinesque-Statists cry "Foul! Traitor!" when it is they who are the traitors to the US Constitution.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Cheney is a lying Republican evil scum so Snowden is???

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

U.S. files criminal charges against Snowden over leaks

Better word is U.S. Govt., don't just use word U.S. and blame all the citizen of it. U.S. Govt think Snowden did a crime, if so, reverse is also true, People of this world think U.S. Agency did a crime and now they have the rights to kick on their xxxx. The right things for all other govt. is immediately ban Facebook, Google, Yahoo in their countries.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Is it possible that Snowden has compromised the fight against terrorists?

This is exactly what they want you think about him. Since we have been exposed, use him now to our advantage to justify even more monitoring.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

All big country governments spy on their residents, each up to their capabilities.

The other countries just don't have their own whistleblowers yet - or they're dead.

Though technically it's not illegal unless it's against the law.

Judge says let's all settle this in court and let a jury of his peers decide whether laws have been broken.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Given the Chinese sensitivity to it's own citizens engaging in activities like whistle blowing, you'd think they might be quite happy to hand Mr Snowden over, however, he is American and this changes the game somewhat for them.

I think he has revealed information most people would like to know of their government. I know I would. I don't think he is a traitor at all.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I'll wager Assange is secretly fuming about about Snowdon hijacking his sad little "whistle-blowing" reality show. Even if you're not happy with what he's done, there is still that to thank him for.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The fate of whistleblowers follows several similar paths.

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/06/nsa-whistleblower-nsa-spying-on-and-blackmailing-high-level-government-officials-and-military-officers.html

Smear campaigns, kangaroo court tribunals, disappearances, and "accidental" deaths.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Judge says let's all settle this in court and let a jury of his peers decide whether laws have been broken.

But is it a fair trial is the judge instructs the jury to stick to the letter of the law - ie did he steal/leak data from his employer after signing legal documents saying he wouldnt? In this case he is clearly guilty.

A fair trial would allow Snowden to argue that he has moral justification for doing so. The judge should allow motives to be discussed and involved in the question of guilt.

Somehow, i suspect this wont happen. The cries of "traitor" are too loud.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Of course, if the US government didn't have anything to hide, this would be a non-issue.

And they have A LOT to hide!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Good. Now catch him.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"if the US government didn't have anything to hide, this would be a non-issue"

If the U.S. government didn't collect the information they did, maybe we would have suffered a terrorist attack worse than 9/11.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The solution to all of this is pretty simple. The USA needs to repeal the Patriot Act and go back to the Constitution. The latter document is why the nation is based upon and the people are seemingly forgetting about the conflict between Patriot Act and the basis of the nation.

Snowden committed no act of treason, let us get the terminology straight.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"Snowden committed no act of treason"

Except that his actions may have compromised the U.S. government's ability to thwart terrorist attacks.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The anti-terrorist apparatus that the U.S. government established after 9/11 has now been turned against law-abiding American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights in the form of protests against Wall Street and the banks.

The apparatus consists not only of advanced surveillance technologies but also of "fusion centers" in state after state that coordinate the efforts of law enforcement at all levels with leading private sector security firms. For example, according to (public) documents just recently obtained by DBA Press and the Center for Media and Democracy, show tremendous resources spent by the Department of Homeland Security to infiltrate Occupy Phoenix and track many of its members.

For what reason? In October 2011, Jamie Dimon, the president and CEO of JPMorgan-Chase was coming to town. Dimon was holding an event with thousands of his employees at the park where the Arizona Diamondbacks play, and the government and local law enforcement wanted to shield him from any inconvenient happenings.

In the weeks leading up to the event, Phoenix police launched a plan for long-term monitoring of individuals associated with Occupy Phoenix that included watching social media including Facebook conversations. In this effort, the police department worked closely with the Downtown Phoenix Partnership, a group of private companies that includes the Alliance Bank of Arizona, Ernst & Young, the huge mining company Freeport-McMoRan, and Republic Media. Information gathered from social media was given to the FBI.

-- From the article "Spying on Occupy Activists: How Cops and Homeland Security Help Wall Street" by Matthew Rothschild in the June 2013 issue of The Progressive.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

So why didn't he just release the information in Iceland? I don't get it.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"So why didn't he just release the information in Iceland? I don't get it."

For the added drama I'm sure.

The more I think of the way Snowdon has sidelined the other drama Queen currently hiding from the law locked away in a tiny embassy, the more I actually warm to him - even though I am under no illusion that Snowdon's ulterior motives are likely to be absolutely no different than desperately attention-seeking Jules.

It would also seem that the fact the US has already filed criminal charges on Snowdon kinda blows Assange's extradition "excuse" for avoiding his alleged sex cries in Sweden right out of the water.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I saw this one coming, if the charges were unsealed I'm guessing they're being filed due to an infringement of one of the non-disclosure agreements Snowden was likely required to sign as part of his job. If the charges go through the Electronic Espionage Act of 1996 has charges outlined for leaking data for up to 10 years in prison.

Being the Snowden is a private citizen, not a member of the us Armed forces like Manning was, I think he deserves considerably more leniency.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

http://www.japantoday.com/category/world/view/white-house-defends-phone-surveillance-amid-uproar#comment_1581662

BaDSeY<

"They record everything and store it digitally."

yabits JUN. 23, 2013 - 12:15AM JST YaBiTs

Wooohooo!! Hahaha. Where do you come up with that total crock and present it like it's a fact?

Can you tell me what company makes these super-recorders and storage devices? C'mon it shouldn't be a secret. (Coz they don't exist.) --Full disclosure: Some of the projects I've worked on over the past few years have involved instrumenting internet providers to meet CALEA requirements for lawful intercept of telephone conversations. These recorders have practical capacities which are far, FAR less than the ability to "record everything" and store it digitally. -By the way, when the by the time the information leaves the IP phone or computer, it's already in digital format. Maybe they store it in Dubly.

yabits JUN. 23, 2013 - 12:15AM JST

The anti-terrorist apparatus that the U.S. government established after 9/11 has now been turned against law-abiding American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights in the form of protests against Wall Street and the banks. -- plus you even add "(threat) fusion centers"

-You really made a 180 degree turn on this and I am proud of you. Very hard for people to see thru the smoke and see what is going on. Software (maybe hardware also?) is by Narus (main provider + other minors)

http://web.archive.org/web/20071201184647/http://blog.wired.com/27BStroke6/att_klein_wired.pdf (page 7 lists the old hardware circa 2004 = Narus hardware at the time + others)

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/ff_nsadatacenter/all/ (really well done overview -but geeks have a huge interest in this)

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@Serrano

"if the US government didn't have anything to hide, this would be a non-issue"

If the U.S. government didn't collect the information they did, maybe we would have suffered a terrorist attack worse than 9/11.

You bypassed all the "mumble jumble", a short, direct and spot on sentence summing it all up. What you said is obvious. Problem is, the average liberal on JT will debate you and give you 10,000 excuses and toothless reasons as to why Snowden is some sort of mythical, magical marvel and Saint. Like I said before, they need to get this guy and quickly, whatever means necessary. I know most of you liberals would think that ANY future attacks on the US would be in your twisted minds justified which makes it that much more important that Snowden tells the Chinese (of all people) everything that he knows. Snowden's life and the information that he has in his pathetic cranium is more important than the lives of 350 million people.

Unbelievable.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

-You really made a 180 degree turn on this and I am proud of you.

No Badsey, there has been no such 180-degree turn. The surveillance techniques employed against Occupy Phoenix do not include your imaginary devices that record everyone's telephone calls. Monitoring social media sites and using facial recognition technology, yes.

Anyone so much as stopped for questioning by police at an Occupy gathering had their name, address, drivers license and/or Social Security number, and photo or physical description fed into the tracking database maintained by the authorities. Again, there is no evidence of any monitoring of private communications.

There is a genuine concern when law enforcement authorities ally themselves with private industry to thwart perfectly legal political protests undertaken by law-abiding, peaceful American citizens. I would not want that genuine concern to be polluted with the zero-credibility, tin-foil stuff like saying all Americans' private conversations are being recorded and stored.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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