The state says: "Well, in order for it to be legitimate civil disobedience, you have to follow these rules." They put us in "free-speech zones"; they say you can only do it at this time, and in this way, and you can't interrupt the functioning of the government. They limit the impact that civil disobedience can achieve. We have to remember that civil disobedience must be disobedience if it's to be effective.
Edward SnowdenWe reject techniques like torture regardless of whether they're effective or ineffective because they are barbaric and harmful on a broad scale. It's the same thing with cyber warfare. We should never be attacking hospitals. We should never be taking down power plants unless that is absolutely necessary to ensure our continued existence as a free people.
Edward SnowdenWhen you say, โI have nothing to hide,โ youโre saying, โI donโt care about this right.โ Youโre saying, โI donโt have this right, because Iโve got to the point where I have to justify it.โ The way rights work is, the government has to justify its intrusion into your rights.
Edward SnowdenWe've seen a departure from the traditional work of the National Security Agency. They've become sort of the national hacking agency, the national surveillance agency. And they've lost sight of the fact that everything they do is supposed to make us more secure as a nation and a society.
Edward SnowdenSince the revelations, we have seen a massive sea change in the technological basis and makeup of the Internet.
Edward Snowden