I'm not sure what the goal of this leak is anymore. Snowden is completely fucking himself over while diverting public attention from issues that have the best odds of an immediate fix -- the surveillance of Americans.
I think he simply wants Americans, and the world, to know the truth about what their governments are doing, and doesn't believe that the best chance of that happening is staying within the bounds set by US law. He probably believes the best chances for pushback on privacy lie outside the five-eyes states, because those states have been co-opted so completely by their intelligence services. In the UK for example, every secret communication of every politician, judge and public servant is now available to those services.
Binney in his heart still believes the US government can be reasoned with and negotiated with and it seems you agree with him. It appears Snowden has decisively broken with that point of view and sees it at somewhat naive (probably after seeing what was done to Binney and Manning). As to treason (in a broad sense as betraying his country), I think that depends on whether you believe he's exposing wrongdoing or not. If he's found extensive wrongdoing, it's impossible to make that public without damaging the US in the short-term, but in the long-term, he may believe what he does is in the interests of the US. I certainly agree with him.
Sorry, non-Americans: the Constitution doesn't cover you guys. But we need to protect ourselves from our own laws first before we can help the rest of the world.
Personally I think we should try to move past this sort of parochial patriotism and look at this issue as one which affects the whole world. If you accept the argument that foreigners may be spied upon, and anyone having contact with foreigners, you're accepting that anyone who does business outside the US or has contacts outside the US is a potential surveillance target. That probably covers almost the entire cosmopolitan US population nowadays. So much for American privacy. You also accept that states like the UK and Canada will be allowed to take every bit of information that passes through them and pass it back to the NSA, because that data is now 'foreign'. By the same argument text messages in the UK are all swept up, because they pass over the border for technical reasons apparently.
Of course the only country and legal framework we can currently work within is our own, but it is inconsistent and ultimately futile to view this as a struggle for rights in only one country, because the network which we're objecting to is global in scope and global in ambition.
Perhaps more important than the difficulties of separating foreign from US data is the damage this attitude causes to the standing of the US in the world - if this deepens the perception that there is one law of US citizens and another for everyone else, why should other countries treat American data and persons with respect?
> believes the US government can be reasoned with and negotiated with
Whistle-blowing is an important exercise that keeps the system in check. And I do think this whole thing was an important wake-up call. But it really seems that Snowden has gone beyond any capacity for protection -- the leaks are so far-reaching that it will be easy to steamroll and discredit him. He doesn't deserve treason, but the politicians will be able to make a convincing argument of that (or at least espionage), given the scope of the leaks.
> this issue as one which affects the whole world
No doubt.
> Of course the only country and legal framework we can currently work within is our own
Exactly. This information is too much, too fast, and is overwhelming reasonable options for what can be done. Fix the first things first (surveillance, tapping US companies), and other things later (vacuuming up data globally).
Of course it's impossible to say how fixing the "other things later" should/would have worked -- it could've required another leak (or at least a less egocentric approach), or the process of fixing things in the US could have strengthened rights elsewhere. The way things are going now, I fear we may not even have chance to fix anything at all.
He doesn't deserve treason, but the politicians will be able to make a convincing argument of that (or at least espionage), given the scope of the leaks.
It doesn't convince me. YMMV.
The way things are going now, I fear we may not even have chance to fix anything at all.
Fixing things doesn't depend on what happens to Snowden, even the release of information doesn't rely on Snowden (he's already leaked it all). Fixing things depends on people being informed about the issues and implications, and taking action on it. I don't see why you'd want to be less informed or pretend that this does not require global solutions. One country alone cannot fix this, but we can start with our own countries, by expecting and demanding equal treatment under the law for all.
Personally I think there's plenty of chance to fix this - there is plenty wrong with our societies (UK or US), but also much to celebrate, and much opportunity to discuss what is wrong and put it right. That requires us not to fear failure before we even begin, but to discuss these issues at every opportunity in public forums (in the UK this is particularly important due to Section D notices limiting reporting). I'd like to see my politicians answer to the world as to why this information is collected on innocent citizens on the news rather than hide behind excuses of national security and terrorism.
I think he simply wants Americans, and the world, to know the truth about what their governments are doing, and doesn't believe that the best chance of that happening is staying within the bounds set by US law. He probably believes the best chances for pushback on privacy lie outside the five-eyes states, because those states have been co-opted so completely by their intelligence services. In the UK for example, every secret communication of every politician, judge and public servant is now available to those services.
Binney in his heart still believes the US government can be reasoned with and negotiated with and it seems you agree with him. It appears Snowden has decisively broken with that point of view and sees it at somewhat naive (probably after seeing what was done to Binney and Manning). As to treason (in a broad sense as betraying his country), I think that depends on whether you believe he's exposing wrongdoing or not. If he's found extensive wrongdoing, it's impossible to make that public without damaging the US in the short-term, but in the long-term, he may believe what he does is in the interests of the US. I certainly agree with him.
Sorry, non-Americans: the Constitution doesn't cover you guys. But we need to protect ourselves from our own laws first before we can help the rest of the world.
Personally I think we should try to move past this sort of parochial patriotism and look at this issue as one which affects the whole world. If you accept the argument that foreigners may be spied upon, and anyone having contact with foreigners, you're accepting that anyone who does business outside the US or has contacts outside the US is a potential surveillance target. That probably covers almost the entire cosmopolitan US population nowadays. So much for American privacy. You also accept that states like the UK and Canada will be allowed to take every bit of information that passes through them and pass it back to the NSA, because that data is now 'foreign'. By the same argument text messages in the UK are all swept up, because they pass over the border for technical reasons apparently.
Of course the only country and legal framework we can currently work within is our own, but it is inconsistent and ultimately futile to view this as a struggle for rights in only one country, because the network which we're objecting to is global in scope and global in ambition.
Perhaps more important than the difficulties of separating foreign from US data is the damage this attitude causes to the standing of the US in the world - if this deepens the perception that there is one law of US citizens and another for everyone else, why should other countries treat American data and persons with respect?