Edward Snowden Says NSA Engages In Industrial Espionage 212
Maow writes "Edward Snowden has been interviewed by a German TV network and stated that the NSA is involved in industrial espionage, which is outside the range of national security. He claims that Siemens is a prime example of a target for the data collection. I doubt this would surprise AirBus or other companies, but it shall remain to be seen what measures global industries take (if any) to prevent their internal secrets from falling into NSA's — and presumably American competitors' — hands." AirBus is a good example of a company that has experienced spying from both sides.
A symbiotic relationship (Score:5, Insightful)
There has existed a perception that large corporate compilers of information reluctantly acquiesced to the full might of national security orders and subpoenas..
What's in it for me? is a sweet, sweet incentivizer, too.
Re:Outside the range? (Score:5, Insightful)
If you accept that argument, then all economic activity falls under the umbrella of national security, and the Constitution goes out the window.
Oh, I see what you did there.
Re:*Not* news -- no kidding it's TIMOTHY (Score:3, Insightful)
But only Timothy engages in systematic linkbaiting & selection of the summaries that try to sensationalize what everyone already knows.
I don't care for your vision of America (Score:2, Insightful)
If America with all our resources can't work out some cheap knock-off without resorting to industrial espionage, we deserve to fail.
Let's be honest though, the NSA serves only a small portion of our population and sees the rest of us as their adversary.
why the soap opera ? (Score:0, Insightful)
Why are we getting like 1 news a month from Mr. Snowden ?
This is turning into a media show...
It's a free market ! (Score:5, Insightful)
It's a free market all right, it's a free "to spy on everybody and steal their secret" market !!
Re:A symbiotic relationship (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What's next? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Keep the love coming! (Score:5, Insightful)
Because we have expectations of privacy (in the absence of wrongdoing) and that expectation applies to corporations as well?
Because industrial espionage is the motherlode of data in the age of the Internet...can you imagine the damage if Snowden were corrupted by Chinese intelligence services? Or Russian? Indeed, what if that is the case with other NSA personnel already?
Because an intelligence agency willing to engage in corporate profiteering is showing a callous disrespect for law, privacy, and ethics?
If an intelligence agency has freed itself from the bonds of law and public oversight, how far will it go? Will it be used against a populist target such as the "1%" or against a political target such as Occupy? Indeed, is it already being used for such? (Michael Hastings!)
Stop being an apologist, recognize the cancer for what it is.
U.S stealing trade and tech (Score:5, Insightful)
It's funny to hear U.S gov and confused Americans say the Chinese are stealing technology, a discussion and argument that bears no logic whatsoever, but at the same time they're doing everything they can to get information and secrets on trade, technology etc. while saying it's to protect the U.S. Hilarious.
Re:Keep the love coming! (Score:3, Insightful)
Translation: if it doesn't affect me, why should I care?
Re:Outside the range? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:*Not* news -- no kidding it's TIMOTHY (Score:4, Insightful)
I find that there is no shortage of false things that "everyone already knows" on Slashdot.
Re:Outside the range? (Score:5, Insightful)
Regarding China, the most useful information probably relates to contract negotiation. Stemming the tide of Chinese corporate purchases and Chinese oil company investment in Africa and so forth, but also allowing companies like Apple to better negotiate terms with their manufacturers.
But in general there have been a lot of military deals that European firms for example were set to win because they'd put in the best bid (objectively so) only for the deal to be cancelled last minute, sometimes after being signed citing "corruption" only for American firms to be handed the deal on a platter without restarting the tender process (which is what would happen if corruption was a real concern).
If during take over and purchase negotiations and so forth America is able to get e-mails saying things like "We'll take $250,000 for the company but let's push for $500,000" then the American firms know they can hold out until that minimum and not risk losing the deal giving them an artificial advantage in negotiations.
There are many examples, and I don't pretend it is just America doing it, I think the UK and France at minimum do a lot of it too, but it's not really a good idea long term as you're just legitimising the practice and it's simply then just a race of who does it best, until someone loses, then when someone loses a race that shouldn't even have been happening in the first place they'll get angry, and get their own back another way.
It's just not a good idea building global distrust like this.
Re:America Inc. (Score:2, Insightful)
Do you really hope we mere mortals would have hard information about this ?
But really, if the NSA is doing industrial espionage on Petrobras, do you think the little American Oil companies would get that data ?
The affirmation that only the large corporations that are in bed with govt would get some of that data is essentially a given, no proof needed. It's too obvious. But more focus with being in bed with govt than being big.
Re:America Inc. (Score:4, Insightful)
no proof needed. It's too obvious.
It's "obvious" in much the same way that other false things have been "obvious" over the years on Slashdot.
Re:why the soap opera ? (Score:5, Insightful)
Not to mention further revelations exposes the lies of excuses from each previous round of revelation.
This, here, is the real trick.
There has been a lot of this:
1) Assert 'A' ...and so on...
2) Government denies 'A'
3) Prove 'A'. Assert 'B'.
4) Government admits to needing to do 'A', but says it would never do 'B'.
5) Prove 'B'. Assert 'C'.
The fact that the government FELL FOR IT for so very long this summer and fall says a lot about their arrogance. Well that and how little they know about what he actually took.