You simply have to eventually fall under suspicion from somebody even by a wrong call. And then they can use this system to go back in time and scrutinize every decision you've ever made, every friend you've ever discussed something with. And attack you on that basis to sort to derive suspicion from an innocent life and paint anyone in the context of a wrongdoer.
Edward SnowdenWe should never allow computers to make inherently governmental decisions in terms of the application of military force, even if that's happening on the internet.
Edward SnowdenThe issue I brought forward most clearly was that of mass surveillance, not of surveillance in general.
Edward SnowdenEvery time you pick up the phone, dial a number, write an e-mail, make a purchase, travel on the bus carrying a cell phone, swipe a card somewhere, you leave a trace, and the Government has decided that it's good idea to collect it all, everything, even if you've never been suspected of doing a crime.
Edward SnowdenThere are proxies, proxy servers on the internet, and this is very typical for hackers to use. They create what are called proxy chains where they gain access to a number of different systems around the world, sometimes by hacking these, and they use them as sort of relay boxes.
Edward SnowdenI know that fundamentally, changes to the fabric of the internet, and sort of our methods of communication, can enforce our rights.
Edward SnowdenAfter 9/11, many of the most important news outlets in America abdicated their role as a check to power - the journalistic responsibility to challenge the excesses of government - for fear of being seen as unpatriotic and punished in the market during a period of heightened nationalism.
Edward Snowden