Look at the reactions of liberal governments to the surveillance revelations during the last years. In the United States, we've got this big debate, but we've got official paralysis - because they're the ones who had their hand caught most deeply in the cookie jar.
Edward SnowdenIf an adversary didn't target our power plants but they did target the core routers, the backbones that tie our internet connections together, entire parts of the United States could be cut off. That would have a tremendous impact on us as a society and it would have a policy backlash.
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 SnowdenThe United States has faced threats from criminal groups, from terrorists, from spies throughout our history, and we have limited our responses. We haven't resorted to total war every time we have a conflict around the world, because that restraint is what defines us. That restraint is what gives us the moral standing to lead the world.
Edward Snowden