Snowden Gives Alternative Christmas Message On Channel 4 224
codeusirae wrote in with news that Edward Snowden gave an alternative to the UK's yearly Christmas message, speaking about his objections to mass indiscriminate surveillance by governments. The message aired on channel four at 16:15. Slashgear posted a transcript. Quoting: "Think about what this means for the privacy of the average person. A child born today will grow up with no conception of privacy at all. They'll never know what it means to have a private moment to themselves — an unrecorded, unanalyzed thought. And that's a problem, because privacy matters. Privacy is what allows us to determine who we are and who we want to be."
Now if the shoe was on the other foot... (Score:5, Insightful)
Just think about it for a sec...
If an Iranian or Russian version of Snowden had defected to the [mighty] USA, we would be trumpeting our "superior" system and way-of-life as compared to "those other nations."
We would be saying we're glad to be living here where ther's the "rule of law" yada yada yada...
But because he was one of us, our government is instead labeling him as a traitor. Sadly, a good number of Americans don't see the hipocrisy!!
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Insightful)
...and be surveilled on CCTV while they walk to/from the park on public sidewalks, and be surveilled yet again by cameras installed at the park.
Ed's point stands.
Re:Enough (Score:5, Insightful)
I appreciate what Snowden is saying, but perhaps fewer narcissistic platitudes and more documents on the front pages? Snowden isn't Jesus, the more he toots "It's not about me", the more it becomes about him
Jesus Fucking Christ, this man is going to spend the rest of his life, in extreme, rational fear for his life, and the lives of anyone he has ever, or will ever love. Cut the man some fucking slack you asshole.
Re:Enough (Score:5, Insightful)
> Jesus Fucking Christ, this man is going to spend the rest of his life, in extreme, rational fear for his life, and the lives of anyone he has ever, or will ever love. Cut the man some fucking slack you asshole.
Hopefully you're wrong. Hopefully he'll be caught and no longer be in fear.
It sounds like you are OK with his being imprisoned and/or tortured and/or executed, and the same for anyone who was ever close to him, and perhaps another love-hop from there because authorities believe it makes the crucifixion more effective?
Snowden appears to have done the right thing, for the right reasons. He served our best interests.
Re:Enough (Score:5, Insightful)
Then who is it about? Who is actually standing up and doing something about this?
The definition of a narcissist is someone who excessively admires his or herself. I don't see how sacrificing one's own career, income, relationships, freedom to travel, reputation, and subjecting himself to ridiculous criticism and smear campaigns is compatible with that definition.
Edward Snowden has made sacrifices on behalf of principles we should all be standing up for. That has little to do with self-love.
Re:Enough (Score:5, Insightful)
No, you really don't, as your comment below shows.
Really? What have you done lately? Perhaps you should stop trolling and consider doing something more productive.
If you are calling a man who's sacrificed his future for the future of others a narcissist for airing his opinions, then you are nothing more than a jealous little man with nothing of value to add. Please go away.
Re:Agreed (Score:5, Insightful)
Snowden is in a precarious position at present. He has to rely on the good will of other countries to protect him from America, who quite possibly would give him the death sentence (or failing that imprison him for the rest of his life). By keeping himself in the minds of the global population he adds incentive to those protecting him; they get to be the 'good guy' by doing so. In short, this isn't narcissism, it is self preservation.
Re:an unrecorded, unanalyzed thought. (Score:5, Insightful)
Some children have baby monitors in their room from birth, gps trackers by the time they are toddlers if not before. They graduate to playing with an tablet that starts collecting information on them by 4 or 5, and a few more years after that and they've got a cell phone tracking nearly every move and social interaction.
Maybe not you or your children. But its absolutely true that full surveillance from birth is a thing now.
As parents its an interesting conundrum choosing between the security of a toddler gps and the knowledge that doing so actively prevents your child from ever being properly alone or even possibly lost. And as parents, I feel that as terrifying as that is for both child and parent, the possibility of being lost is a NECESSARY part of growing up and being an independent responsible person. They need that sense of being able to get lost; even if they don't actually get lost.
We elected not to track the kids, and to give them more space than many of their peers have.
But I know of many families where the kids have no real privacy at all, ever. If they write in their diary, their parents will have read it. If they have a box they keep special things in their parents will have have rooted through it.
I wouldn't be above searching their room and belongings if I had a concern, but I'd have to have a genuine concern to do that invasion of privacy. I think all kids need *some* privacy, and increasingly more as they get older, and many do not get it.
But whenever they've gone outside to play and they've wandered off with friends or whatever and aren't where they are supposed to be and forgot to check in with us... well... I completely get the fear that rises up and leads some parents to go what i think is completely overboard.
Re: Easy answer (Score:4, Insightful)
No, it isn't. Even in public places, you have some degree of privacy.
And mass surveillance is far, far different from some random person seeing you in a public place. I don't think they should even be compared. Privacy in regards to someone seeing you in a public place and privacy in regards to mass surveillance are two different things.
Re:Enough (Score:1, Insightful)
He put himself in the position he's in, no-one else did it to him. Him and Assange are the new generation of Mesiah's who are using a different means in order to grab fame and power. They are doing quite nicely thanks to their reporter mates.
James Russell Lowell -
"
Once to every man and nation
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth and falsehood,
For the good or evil side;
Some great cause, God's new Messiah,
Off'ring each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever
Twixt that darkness and that light.
Though the cause of evil prosper,
Yet 'tis truth alone is strong;
Though her portion be the scaffold,
And upon the throne be wrong:
Yet that scaffold sways the future,
And behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow
Keeping watch above his own.
"
Re:Enough (Score:5, Insightful)
Funnily enough, I think Putin put it the best. After all, he's an old intelligence operative himself.
"He's a strange man. He threw away his life, a good life, just to push for an idealist goal. I don't agree with him, but I respect his conviction".
Re:Enough (Score:2, Insightful)
How the fuck is this insightful? Snowden is a goddamn hero who is tellign it like it is. Frankly the anti Snowden BS posters are the ones that need a good hard kick in the balls.
Jesus Christ (Score:5, Insightful)
The majority of posts, on /. of all places, slamming Snowden for "blah blah blah, PR, narcissist, looking to make money off this."
This guy has effectively destroyed his own life, and the lives of those around him, to tell us, the plebs of the world, the truth that our Governments have been hiding from us.
And you're tearing a strip off him?