Snowden receives Russian passport, takes citizenship oath
MOSCOW — (AP) — Former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who fled prosecution after revealing highly classified surveillance programs, has received a Russian passport and taken the citizenship oath, Russian news agencies quoted his lawyer as saying Friday. Lawyer Anatoly Kucherena was reported as saying that Snowden got the passport and took the oath on Thursday, about three months after Russian President Vladimir Putin granted him citizenship. The reports did not specify whether Snowden has renounced his U.S. citizenship. The United States revoked his passport in 2013, leading to Snowden being stranded in a Moscow airport for weeks after arriving from Hong Kong, aiming to reach Ecuador. In Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Friday that the U.S. was aware of reports Snowden had finalized his Russian citizenship but could not confirm them, and referred questions about his status to the Russian government.
wftv.comGovt. watchdog warns systems monitoring nuclear weapons could be vulnerable to cyber attacks
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A recently released report exposed vulnerabilities for the agency in charge of overseeing nuclear weapons for the United States Government.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<
Advocates: speed-limiting tech in new cars could address gender disparity in crash statistics
WASHINGTON, D.C. — There’s a new push to require car companies to put speed-limiting technology in newly manufactured cars. Some believe crash test dummies that simulate the female body will address the gender disparity, but others think the fix is not so simple. READ: Russia gives citizenship to ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden“Our crash test dummies have inherent limitations,” Jessica Jermakian, Vice President of Vehicle Research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said. 🎥 IIHS VP of Vehicle Research Jessica Jermakian explains how the SID-IIs crash test dummy has improved side impact crash protection for occupants of all sizes since it was first incorporated into our original side crash test in 2003. The long-term plan aims to save lives by leveraging road design and other infrastructure interventions, and focusing on safer speed limit setting, education, and equitable traffic enforcement.
wftv.comRussia gives citizenship to ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden
MOSCOW — (AP) — Russia on Monday granted citizenship to former American intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who fled prosecution after he revealed highly classified U.S. surveillance programs to capture communications and data from around the world. A decree signed Monday by Russian President Vladimir Putin listed Snowden as one of 75 foreign citizens listed as being granted Russian citizenship. After fleeing the U.S. in 2013, Snowden was granted permanent Russian residency in 2020 and said at the time that he planned to apply for Russian citizenship without renouncing his U.S. citizenship. He hasn't commented on being granted Russian citizenship. Snowden leaked documents on the National Security Agency's collection of data passing through the infrastructure of U.S. phone and internet companies.
wftv.comRussia gives citizenship to ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden
MOSCOW — (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted Russian citizenship to former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden, according to a decree signed Monday by the Russian leader. Snowden is one of 75 foreign citizens listed by the decree as being granted Russian citizenship. Snowden, a former contractor with the U.S. National Security Agency, has been living in Russia since 2013 to escape prosecution in the U.S. after leaking classified documents detailing government surveillance programs. He was granted permanent Russian residency in 2020 and said at the time that he planned to apply for Russian citizenship without renouncing his U.S. citizenship. He hasn't commented on being granted Russian citizenship.
wftv.comPutin grants Russian citizenship to Edward Snowden
MOSCOW — (AP) — President Vladimir Putin has granted Russian citizenship to former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden, according to a decree signed by the Russian leader on Monday. Snowden is one of 75 foreign nationals listed by the decree as being granted Russian citizenship. Snowden, a former contractor with the U.S. National Security Agency, has been living in Russia since 2013 to escape prosecution in the U.S. after leaking classified documents detailing government surveillance programs. He was granted permanent residency in 2020 and said at the time that he planned to apply for Russian citizenship, without renouncing his U.S. citizenship. He hasn't commented on being granted Russian citizenship.
wftv.comUS, EU sign data transfer deal to ease privacy concerns
The European Union and United States made a breakthrough in their yearslong battle over the privacy of data that flows across the Atlantic with a preliminary agreement that paves the way for Europeans’ personal information to be stored in the U.S. President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the deal Friday during Biden’s stop in Brussels while on a European tour amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
NSA to NSO: NY filmmakers explore circles of surveillance
Germany Surveillance Exhibition A man stands in front of the artwork 'Hart Island", by Laura Poitras in collaboration with Sean Vegezzi, at an exhibition by American artist and filmmaker Laura Poitras, at the N.K.B. Together with artist Sean Vegezzi, Poitras puts viewers outside an NYPD outpost in Queens used by the Technical Assistance Response Unit, whose role is to monitor political protests. Since the start of the pandemic, NSO has sought to apply its technology — originally designed to hunt down terrorists — to COVID-tracking tools, alarming human rights activists. “The pandemic rules and surveillance technology is definitely going to be exploited and normalized in future,” said Poitras. ___The exhibition “Circles” by Laura Poitras can be seen at Neuen Berliner Kunstverein from June 18 to Aug. 8.
wftv.comBelarus leader seeks Russian support amid showdown with EU
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has met in Sochi with his Belarusian counterpart for talks on forging closer ties amid Minsk's bruising showdown with the European Union over the forced diversion of a passenger jet to arrest a dissident journalist.
Court: UK mass surveillance unlawful under European rules
LONDON — (AP) — Europe's top human rights court ruled Tuesday that British mass surveillance and intelligence-gathering practices breached human rights laws, in a partial victory for civil rights groups that had challenged the practices exposed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights upheld a 2018 ruling by the court's lower chamber that found some aspects of British surveillance activities violated provisions in the European Convention on Human Rights aimed at safeguarding Europeans’ rights to privacy. A majority of the judges gave a thumbs-up, however, to British laws governing the sharing of intercepted electronic intelligence with foreign governments or intelligence agencies. “Sufficient safeguards had been in place to protect against abuse and to ensure that U.K. authorities had not used requests for material from foreign intelligence partners" to get around U.K. laws, the court said. “Mass surveillance damages democracies under the cloak of defending them, and we welcome the court’s acknowledgement of this," Carlo said, adding that the ruling also was a “missed opportunity for the court to prescribe clearer limitations and safeguards."
wftv.comCourt rules UK surveillance breached European rights law
LONDON — (AP) — Europe's top human rights court ruled Tuesday that British mass surveillance and intelligence gathering practices breached human rights laws, in a partial victory for civil rights groups that had challenged the practices exposed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights upheld a ruling by the court's lower chamber that found some aspects of British surveillance regimes violated provisions in the European Convention on Human Rights aimed at safeguarding Europeans’ rights to privacy. The court gave a thumbs-up to British laws governing how electronic intelligence is shared with foreign governments or intelligence agencies. “Sufficient safeguards had been in place to protect against abuse and to ensure that U.K. authorities had not used requests for material from foreign intelligence partners" to get around U.K. laws, the court said. Judge Pinto de Albuquerque wrote that the ruling didn't go far enough and “has just opened the gates for an electronic ‘Big Brother’ in Europe."
wftv.comFacebook loses court fight over halting EU-US data transfers
Facebook has lost a legal battle with Ireland’s data privacy watchdog over a European Union privacy decision that could result in the social network being forced to stop transferring data to the U.S. The Irish High Court on Friday rejected Facebook’s bid to block a draft decision by the country’s Data Protection Commission to inquire into, and order the suspension of, the company’s data flows between the European Union and the U.S. The Irish watchdog had launched its inquiry last year...
Despite hacks, US not seeking widened domestic surveillance
The Biden administration is not planning to step up government surveillance of the U.S. internet even as state-backed foreign hackers and cybercriminals increasingly use it to evade detection, a senior administration official said Friday. The official said the administration, mindful of the privacy and civil liberties implications that could arise, is not currently seeking additional authority to monitor U.S.-based networks. AdForeign state hackers are increasingly using U.S.-based virtual private networks, or VPNs, to evade detection by U.S. intelligence agencies, who are legally constrained from monitoring domestic infrastructure. Criminal and state-backed hackers seeking to exploit the underlying flaw are apt to cause more havoc, the administration says. When it comes to the pursuit of new surveillance or monitoring authorities, the official described the administration’s posture as “not yet, not now."
Snowden and his wife seek to be Russian-US dual nationals
MOSCOW – Former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden said Monday that he and his wife intend to apply for Russian citizenship without renouncing their U.S. citizenship. According to Snowden's lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, the child, a boy, will be born in December and will have Russian citizenship. That’s why, in this era of pandemics and closed borders, we’re applying for dual U.S.-Russian citizenship,” Snowden said in a tweet Monday. Kucherena told the Interfax news agency that the process of preparing the necessary paperwork for getting Snowden a Russian passport will start soon. Previously the law required foreigners to renounce other nationalities in order to get Russian citizenship.
United States Obtains Final Judgment and Permanent Injunction Against Edward Snowden
In September 2019, the United States filed a lawsuit against Snowden, who published a book entitled Permanent Record in violation of the non-disclosure agreements he signed with both CIA and NSA. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Snowden has given public speeches on intelligence-related matters, also in violation of his non-disclosure agreements. The United States’ lawsuit did not seek to stop or restrict the publication or distribution of Permanent Record. “Edward Snowden violated his legal obligations to the United States, and therefore, his unlawful financial gains must be relinquished to the government,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen. This lawsuit is a civil action, and based solely on Snowden’s failure to comply with the clear pre-publication review obligations included in his signed non-disclosure agreements.
justice.govUnited States Obtains Final Judgement and Permanent Injunction Against Edward Snowden
In September 2019, the United States filed a lawsuit against Snowden, who published a book entitled Permanent Record in violation of the non-disclosure agreements he signed with both CIA and NSA. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Snowden has given public speeches on intelligence-related matters, also in violation of his non-disclosure agreements. The United States’ lawsuit did not seek to stop or restrict the publication or distribution of Permanent Record. “Edward Snowden violated his legal obligations to the United States, and therefore, his unlawful financial gains must be relinquished to the government,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen. This lawsuit is a civil action, and based solely on Snowden’s failure to comply with the clear pre-publication review obligations included in his signed non-disclosure agreements.
justice.govFacebook may have to stop moving EU user data to US
LONDON Facebook may be forced to stop sending data about its European users to the U.S., in the first major fallout from a recent court ruling that found some trans-Atlantic data transfers don't protect users from American government snooping. The social network said Wednesday that Ireland's Data Protection Commission has started an inquiry into how Facebook shifts data from the European Union to the United States. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which said Irelands data commission gave Facebook until mid-September to respond to a preliminary order to suspend the transfers. The Irish data commission suggested that a type of legal mechanism governing the data transfers, known as standard contractual clauses, cannot in practice be used for EU-U.S. data transfers," Clegg said. But in cases where there are concerns about data privacy, EU regulators should vet, and if needed block, the transfer of data.
Ex-FBI agent: Attacks from Trump 'outrageous' and 'cruel'
Strzok, a former FBI agent who was fired because of derogatory text messages about Donald Trump, writes in a new book that he believes the president has been compromised by Russia. Strzok, for his part, expresses measured regret for the texts in Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump, due out Tuesday. Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation revealed significant contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia but found insufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy. By his own count, Strzok says, Trump has attacked him since then more than 100 times in tweets. After Trump accused Strzok of treason, he appealed to the FBI for a statement condemning the remarks, but got none.
Bolton critique of Trump could define tell-all book battles
Trump on Thursday called the book a compilation of lies and made up stories intended to make him look bad. But he never got a formal clearance letter, and the Trump administration contends that the book, titled The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir," still contains sensitive material. Ellis began his review of the Bolton book on May 2 at the behest of national security adviser Robert OBrien. It was initially cleared for publication by Army reviewers, but when spy agency reviewers took a look, they claimed it included classified information that could damage national security. Aftergood, the classifications expert, said the Bolton case has turned the governments little-known prepublication review process into national news.
CIA unit that crafts hacking tools didn't protect itself
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, obtained the redacted report from the Justice Department after it was introduced as evidence in a court case this year involving stolen CIA hacking tools. The 2017 report was produced one year after the theft of sensitive tools for hacking into adversaries' networks that were developed by the CIA's specialized Center for Cyber Intelligence. The disclosure of the hacking tools featured prominently in the trial this year of Joshua Schulte, a former CIA software engineer accused of stealing a large trove of the agencys hacking tools and handing it to WikiLeaks. He was convicted in March of only minor charges after a jury deadlocked on more serious espionage counts against him, including the theft of the hacking tools. The CIAs cyber tools were gone in an instant.
Facebook secures a symbolic victory in EU court battle against privacy activist Max Schrems
Facebook's sharing of data on its European users with the U.S. is legal and provides sufficient protections, the legal advisor to the EU's top court said Thursday. "Standard contractual clauses for the transfer of personal data to processors established in third countries is valid," he said in written opinion Thursday. His non-binding opinion is not a ruling as such, but legal experts say opinions from the advocate general are typically followed by the court in a majority of cases. Privacy activist Max Schrems has been battling Facebook and other internet platforms in the courts for several years. The CJEU advocate general in his written opinion appeared to sympathize with Schrems' concerns about the Privacy Shield, "in the light of the right to respect for private life and the right to an effective remedy."
cnbc.comEdward Snowden must give government money from book because ex-intelligence contractor didn't get approval first, judge says
Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden poses for a photo during an interview in an undisclosed location in December 2013 in Moscow, Russia. Barton Gellman | Getty ImagesNewly released "Permanent Record" by Edward Snowden is displayed on a shelf at Books Inc. on September 17, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty ImagesO'Grady's ruling noted that all three agreements Snowden signed required him to protect information and material of which he had knowledge from unauthorized disclosure. They also required him to submit for review any writings or other presentations he prepared which related to intelligence data or protected information. Snowden's book, which was published in September in the United States by Macmillan Publishing Group, details CIA and NSA intelligence-gathering activities, including classified programs.
cnbc.comSnowden: Lawsuit targeting his book is selective enforcement
Former CIA contractor Edward Snowden says the government is unfairly singling him out in a lawsuit that seeks to block him from profiting off his best-selling memoir. The U.S. says Snowden's book, "Permanent Record," violates secrecy agreements he signed when he worked for the CIA and as a contractor for the National Security Agency . Snowden's lawyers filed papers Wednesday in federal court in Alexandria responding to the lawsuit. He also says the CIA and NSA never would have given Snowden a fair shake if he had followed the rules of his secrecy agreements and submitted his book for prepublication review. "There is a strong likelihood that the government would have subjected Mr. Snowden specifically to such discriminatory treatment," Snowden's lawyers wrote.
chicagotribune.comRand Paul thwarts Senate Dems' attempt at unanimous resolution
(CNN) - Senate Democrats unsuccessfully attempted to pass a unanimous resolution Wednesday to recognize the role of Congress and the executive branch in protecting whistleblowers, days after Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky called for the whistleblower who sparked the impeachment inquiry to be named publicly. The New York Democrat urged the Senate to pass this resolution to reaffirm a long-standing tradition of protecting whistleblowers. After Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Hawaii Democrat, asked for unanimous consent, Paul objected. Paul said he isn't objecting because he doesn't support whistleblowers, but the system should be refined. "I say tonight to the media: Do your job and print his name," Paul yelled during a rally Trump held in support of Republican Gov.
Snowden 'did more damage to the private sector' than government, says former intelligence lead
Edward Snowden's 2013 leaks hurt U.S. businesses more than the government agencies that lost the information, the recently departed deputy director of national intelligence said Monday. Sue Gordon, who resigned her position with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in August and left the role just last week, was speaking to an audience of corporate executives at CNBC's @Work People + Machines Summit in San Francisco. "One of our favorite insider threats was Edward Snowden, and he did massive damage to the security of the nation just in terms of what he exposed about information operations," Gordon said. "But he did more damage to the private sector. The National Security Agency announced in September it is suing Snowden for failing to submit his recently published book to the government for clearance.
cnbc.comEdward Snowden says 'the most powerful institutions in society have become the least accountable'
Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden speaks via video link at the Web Summit technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal on November 4, 2019. LISBON, Portugal "What do you do when the most powerful institutions in society have become the least accountable to society?" That was the question Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who blew the whistle on numerous global surveillance programs, put to an audience of thousands at the Web Summit technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal on Monday. In 2013, Snowden's name hit the headlines after the whistleblower leaked classified documents with journalists that detailed surveillance programs run by the NSA that tapped people's cell phone and internet communications. Washington subsequently charged Snowden with espionage and theft of government property, while his passport was also revoked.
cnbc.comEdward Snowden searched CIA networks for proof of aliens
Joshua Rubin via CNN(CNN) - PSA for all the Area 51 stormers, chemtrail believers and climate change deniers: Edward Snowden has searched the depths of the US intelligence networks and can report the conspiracy theories are not true. As a former employee of the CIA and contractor for the National Security Agency, Snowden had access to some of the nation's most closely held secrets. "I know, Joe, I know you want there to be aliens," Snowden joked to Rogan, the podcast's host. So why are people on the internet so keen to believe in conspiracy theories? "Everybody wants to believe in conspiracy theories because it helps life make sense," he said on the podcast.
Trump-Ukraine whistleblower is part of long tradition
"I would say, 'You are obviously a person of integrity and you take it seriously when you hear about wrongdoing,'" Brockovich, the environmental and consumer activist, said in a recent telephone interview. Presidents, military leaders and corporate executives have raged against them, but whistleblowers have been around as long as the country itself. Whistleblowers have a long, diverse and complicated history, right down to the definition and spelling of the word. "Whistleblower" is now one word, generally unhyphenated, and defined by activists as someone who exposes wrongdoing, often from the inside at personal risk. "It isn't surprising to me that the Trump-Ukraine whistleblower is from the intelligence community," says Danielle Brian, executive director of the watchdog Project on Government Oversight.
chicagotribune.comDOJ sues Snowden over intelligence secrets in new book
Wikileaks via CNN(CNN) - The Justice Department has sued Edward Snowden, who leaked American intelligence secrets in 2013, for allegedly breaking decade-old contracts he signed with intelligence agencies when he published a book this week. The lawsuit claims that under the agreements, he should have submitted for agency review any of his writings before publication if they included intelligence information. The US government says now that it's owed royalties and payments from his book, which Snowden released this week, according to the lawsuit. "Had Mr. Snowden believed that the government would review his book in good faith, he would have submitted it for review. What I'm asking for is a fair trial," he said.
Edward Snowden says he'd like to return to US
Joshua Rubin via CNN(CNN) - Edward Snowden, who has been living in exile in Russia after leaking American intelligence secrets in 2013, said Monday that he would like to return to the United States if he is guaranteed a fair trial. "One of the big topics in Europe right now is should Germany and France invite me in to get asylum ... And of course I would like to return to the United States. What I'm asking for is a fair trial. Snowden settled in Moscow after initially traveling to Hong Kong following his 2013 public disclosure of the classified information. In 2015, Snowden indicated that he is willing to go to prison if he is permitted to return to the United States.
Edward Snowden book coming out Sept. 17
Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has written a memoir. The book by the man whose leaks of classified documents transformed the debate about government surveillance is coming out September 17. According to Metropolitan, Snowden will describe his role in the accumulation of metadata and the "crisis of conscience" that led him to steal a trove of files in 2013 and share them with reporters. "Publishing Ed Snowden has been a remarkable learning experience," Sargent told The Associated Press. Snowden's story was told in part in the Oscar-winning documentary "Citizenfour" and in the Oliver Stone movie "Snowden."
chicagotribune.comHere's what former Attorney General Eric Holder thinks of Edward Snowden
Former Attorney General Eric Holder had some unexpected comments about former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who leaked information about secret U.S. government surveillance programs, calling Snowden's work a "public service" for starting a national debate.
cbsnews.comParis terror attacks raise questions over privacy, security
The intelligence community says new encryption technologies may have helped the Paris attackers hide their plans. Edward Snowden’s NSA leaks are being blamed for revealing government surveillance methods that could help terrorists avoid detection. Jeff Pegues reports.
cbsnews.comPreview: Into Dangerous Hands
Scott Pelley uncovers critical lapses in the U.S. security clearance process that millions of people, including NSA leaker Edward Snowden and convicted spy Chelsea Manning, must pass to work with America’s secrets. Watch Pelley's report on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. PT.
cbsnews.comW.H.: Edward Snowden did not raise surveillance concerns before leaking
: Edward Snowden did not raise surveillance concerns before leaking White House spokesman Jay Carney disputes Edward Snowden's claim that he tried to blow the whistle internally before going public with his leaks of classified government surveillance programs.
cbsnews.comNSA leaker Edward Snowden asks Putin if Russia spies on Russians
NSA leaker Edward Snowden asks Putin if Russia spies on Russians Popping up via video link during a live televised Q&A session with Russian leader, the man who revealed extent of the NSA's data-gathering asks whether Moscow does the same to its citizens. Putin didn't hesitate to answer.
cbsnews.comSnowden questions Putin about spying in Russia
Snowden questions Putin about spying in Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on a TV call-in show, where he also got a question from NSA leaker Edward Snowden about whether Russia carries out surveillance on its citizens. Norah O'Donnell reports.
cbsnews.comSnowden: Constitution being violated on massive scale
Snowden: Constitution being violated on massive scale Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden broke his silence and told attendees at the South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Tex., that his actions were in defense of the U.S. Constitution. He spoke remotely from Russia by video to a packed meeting of tech industry experts. Omar Villafranca reports.
cbsnews.comSnowden at SXSW: U.S. gov't has "no idea" what documents I've leaked
Snowden at SXSW: U.S. gov't has "no idea" what documents I've leaked Former NSA contractor turned whistleblower Edward Snowden addresses the importance of data encryption during a videoconference at the 2014 South by Southwest Interactive Festival.
cbsnews.comAt SXSW, Snowden calls on developers to keep data safe
At SXSW, Snowden calls on developers to keep data safe During a videoconference at the 2014 South by Southwest Interactive Festival, NSA leaker Edward Snowden says that those in the tech development community are better suited to keep the public's data safe than the people in Washington.
cbsnews.comInside the NSA, The Copts
Inside the NSA, The Copts The NSA allows 60 Minutes cameras inside the agency's secure areas for the first time to explain what it does and what it says it doesn't do: spy on Americans; then, Who is Edward Snowden? John Miller reports on what the NSA has learned about the contractor responsible for stealing 1.7 million classified documents. Plus, see for the first time the black chamber - a secret room where the nation's code breakers work; and, The turmoil in Egypt has led to one of the worse persecutions of the country's Coptic Christians in the nearly 2,000-year history of the sect.
cbsnews.com