I have to admit that I was surprised when a friend contacted me to tell me that Edward Snowden used a clip of an interview that I did with Chris Inglis, former deputy director of the NSA, in an interview of him at South by Southwest.

For some reason, Snowden does not want people to think that he was a Russian agent, and Inglis's comments support that belief. That being said, it is important to realize why this is incredibly irrelevant.

Snowden using valuable time during an interview to contend he was never a Russian agent is an example of him trying to confuse his actions. It in no way changes the damages caused or the crimes committed. It might matter in how he is prosecuted, but it has no bearing on any significant aspect of his crimes.

The agent might or might not be aware that he or she is providing information to a foreign spy depending upon how the operative approaches the agent. An operative is much more of a puppet master than a James Bond.

Many operatives are under diplomatic cover, but some operatives are also under what is referred to as non-official cover (NOCs). Valerie Plame, whose cover was blown by the George W. Bush administration for political retribution, is an example of a NOC. She worked for a variety of front operations around the world, but had primary responsibility to gather information.

Regarding Snowden, Inglis stated during the interview that Snowden's actions were too haphazard to be planned, implying that Snowden was not an official Russian agent. However, the fact that Snowden was not an agent in no way changes the fact that he intentionally committed espionage and treason, and can therefore be considered a traitor. The fact he asked for asylum in Russia makes him a defector.

And for the record, he is not stuck in Russia as he can just walk to the U.S. embassy and turn himself in. (Also, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a passport to American actor Steven Segal. I'm sure he will give Snowden a passport as well, if he asks.)

Remember, Snowden has specifically stated that he applied for a job at Booz Allen so he would have better access to steal information. That is a clear statement of planning and intent to target and steal information. While it doesn't matter whom his intended customer was, the fact he chose to go to China to turn over information to a third party when he had the opportunity to meet journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras anywhere else in the world speaks to his intent.

Snowden's haphazard actions might demonstrate he wasn't an official Russian agent, but the impact was the same. The distinction doesn't matter. Now, anyone with minimal knowledge would have plotted a cleaner defection. But just because he was not good at it does not mean he is not a traitor and defector.

I will, however, add that the fact that Snowden was not a Russian agent before leaving the U.S. doesn't help him, but it is stupid of him to highlight this. In the world of espionage, even members of Russian intelligence agencies would not have much respect for him. While they welcome abusing his status and information, Snowden is a traitor and defector to the espionage world as a whole. He would be perceived as being willing to betray them even quicker than he betrayed the United States.

There is a generally accepted unofficial rule that intelligence agencies do not extradite foreign agents who defect to them. Even despite the lack of respect, they don't want to discourage future agents from working with them. Snowden has excluded himself from such protection, though, so anytime Putin wants to hand Trump a big win, he can hand over Snowden without violating protocol.

So no, Edward Snowden might not have been a Russian agent. But he is a Russian stooge, and a traitor and defector by default.

Ira Winkler is president of Secure Mentem, a security awareness company. He is one of the foremost experts in the human elements of cybersecurity and the author of several books, most recently "Advanced Persistent Security." He has previously worked for the National Security Agency and served as president of the Internet Security Advisors Group, chief security strategist at HP Consulting and director of Technology of the National Computer Security Association. He has also served on the graduate and undergraduate faculties of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. He and his work have been featured in a variety of media outlets including CNN, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the San Francisco Chronicle and Forbes, among others.

The views of contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.

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Snowden wasn't a Russian agent, but a traitor just the same - The Hill (blog)

Edward Snowden is interviewed by the Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter in Moscow in October 2015. Photograph: Lotta Hardelin/AFP/Getty

A US government jet was lying in wait in Copenhagen to extradite the whistleblower Edward Snowden if he had come to Scandinavia after fleeing to Moscow in June 2013, the Danish government has revealed.

The twin-engined Gulfstream aircraft, which had previously been used to fly Abu Hamza to the US from the UK, landed shortly before the FBI called on Scandinavian police forces to arrest Snowden and hand him over for extradition.

Sren Pind, the justice minister, wrote to Danish MPs (pdf): The purpose of the aircrafts presence in Copenhagen airport is most likely to have been to have the opportunity to transport Edward Snowden to the United States if he had been handed over from Russia or another country.

Related: White House denies clearance to tech researcher with links to Snowden

This week, Pind confirmed to the Danish parliament that the aircraft had been given high-level permission to land in Copenhagen, but said he did not know the purpose of its visit.

I must note that my answer was not adequate at this point, he wrote in the letter, dated Thursday 4 February and revealed by MPs on Friday. Usually, information of this nature is confidential because of Denmarks relations with foreign states. In view of the impression that my earlier answer may have created, I think it proper to inform parliament thereof. The US authorities have also been informed.

The admission confirms speculation about the aircraft after enthusiasts in the UK saw the jet flying at very high altitude through Scottish airspace on its way to Copenhagen, as first reported in 2014 by the Register. The Gulfstream jet was identified by its registration number, N977GA, as the aircraft used to extradite radial Muslim cleric Abu Hamza, and other prisoners, to the US in 2012.

Denmarks state-owned air traffic control agency, Navair, granted N977GA permission to stay in Copenhagen from 25 to 27 June 2013, but with flexibility of three days either side of those dates, according to documents released by the justice ministry last week following a freedom of information request by Peter Kofod of the whistleblowing organisation Veron.

On 27 June 2013, the fugitive whistleblower was seeking an onward destination from Moscow, where he had fled from Hong Kong, after handing over to the Guardian thousands of top-secret documents revealing the spying activities of the US National Security Agency.At that time, the FBI wrote from the US embassy in Copenhagen to the police forces of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland to say that Snowden was wanted for theft and espionage.

The US Department of Justice is prepared to immediately draft the necessary paperwork to request the extradition of Snowden to the US from whichever country he travels to from Moscow, the letter, dated 27 June, states. The FBI expresses its gratitude for any assistance that can be provided on this important matter.

Redacted emails among the documents released by the Danish government reveal high-level discussion about N977GA between Danish police and top civil servants between 25 and 27 June. Permission for the jet to land was granted on 24 June.

The United States took drastic methods in trying to grab Snowden in the summer of 2013: a plane carrying the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, was forced to land in Vienna because of rumours that Snowden was on board.

The Danish government has always insisted that it would cooperate with requests by its allies to help bring criminals to justice. However, the revelation that Denmark was prepared to cooperate with the extradition of Snowden from Scandinavia is embarrassing to the former coalition government led by Social Democratic prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

Josephine Fock, MP for the Alternative party, said: At the time the aircraft was given permission to land in Copenhagen, the US had not yet given assurances that Snowden would not face the death penalty or torture Denmark does not extradite people to such countries.

Related: Edward Snowden: US has not offered me plea deal

The US attorney general wrote to his Russian counterpart only in July 2013, a month later, to say that the charges faced by Snowden did not carry the death penalty.

Nicholaj Villumsen, MP and foreign affairs spokesman for the Red Green Alliance, said: It is grotesque that the then government put the interests of the United States above citizens freedoms. They violated fundamental democratic rights. We owe Edward Snowden a big thank you for his revelations of illegal US mass surveillance. Denmark should therefore in no way participate in the hunt for him.

The clear intention of the Danish government to cooperate with the US over Snowden suggested that Scandinavian governments would probably do the same with Julian Assange, were he to travel to Sweden to face rape allegations, Villumsen said. Assanges insistence that he faces a risk of extradition was a central aspect of his appeal to the UN working group on arbitrary detention, which on Friday ruled in his favour.

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Snowden is an upcoming American biographical political thriller film directed by Oliver Stone and written by Stone and Kieran Fitzgerald. The film is based on the book The Snowden Files by Luke Harding. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Scott Eastwood, Melissa Leo, Timothy Olyphant, Zachary Quinto, Nicolas Cage and Tom Wilkinson. Filming began on February 16, 2015 in Munich, Germany. Snowden is scheduled to be released in North America on May 13, 2016, by Open Road Films.

The true story follows Edward Snowden, an American computer professional who leaked classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) to The Guardian in June 2013.

On June 2, 2014, it was announced that Oliver Stone and Moritz Borman acquired the rights to the nonfiction book The Snowden Files by Luke Harding, and that Stone would write and direct a film based on it.[1] On June 10, 2014, Stone acquired the rights to another book, Time of the Octopus by Anatoly Kucherena. Stone would use both books as the sources to write his screenplay.[2] On November 6, 2014, Open Road Films acquired the U.S. rights to the film, while Wild Bunch was set to handle foreign sales.[3]Deadline confirmed on November 10, 2014 that Endgame Entertainment had boarded the film to produce.[4] In April 2015, WikiLeaks revealed that Stone paid $700,000 for the rights to Harding's book and $1 million for rights to Kucherena's novel.[5]

On September 21, 2014, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was in talks to play Edward Snowden, the American computer professional who leaked classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) to the mainstream media starting in June 2013.[6] On November 10, 2014, news confirmed that Levitt would be starring in the lead role.[7] On November 14, 2014, Shailene Woodley was in final talks to join the film to play Snowden's girlfriend, Lindsay Mills.[8] On February 2, 2015, Scott Eastwood joined the cast to play an NSA agent.[9] On February 4, 2015, three more actors joined the cast; Melissa Leo will play documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, Zachary Quinto will play Glenn Greenwald, the journalist chosen by Snowden to leak sensitive information, and Tom Wilkinson will play Ewen MacAskill, defense and intelligence correspondent for The Guardian, who helped report the Snowden story.[10] On February 13, 2015, Variety reported that Ben Schnetzer had also joined the film.[11] On February 19, 2015, Timothy Olyphant joined the film to star as a CIA agent who befriended Snowden before he fled to Russia,[12] and Rhys Ifans and Joely Richardson were added to the cast of the film on February 20, 2015.[13]Nicolas Cage also signed on to play the role of a former US Intelligence official on February 23, 2015.[14]Keith Stanfield was added to the cast on February 25, 2015 to play a National Security Administration co-worker and a close friend to Snowden.[15]

Filming began on February 16, 2015 in Munich, Germany.[16] Shooting was underway in Washington, D.C. in early-April.[17] Shooting in Hawaii began on April 15th and lasted until April 18th. The house used to film is on the same street Edward Snowden lived on. At the end of April, Hong Kong press reported that crews started filming in The Mira Hong Kong, followed by outdoor filming in some old buildings in To Kwa Wan.[18] Shooting lasted until mid-May.[13]

On February 20, 2015, Open Road Films set the film for a December 25, 2015 domestic release.[13]Path would release the film in France on December 30, 2015 and Universum Film would release in Germany on January 7, 2016.[13] However, in September 2015, Open Road moved the film from its Christmas Day release date to 2016. The studio did not give reasons for the delay, however The Hollywood Reporter reported that maybe it was because the film was not finished yet.[19] On October 7, 2015, the film was set for a May 13, 2016 release.[20]

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Snowden (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edward Snowden is the worlds most wanted man. He faces charges related to espionage and theft of government property for leaking classified NSA documents to journalists. He is actively evading U.S. law enforcement by living under asylum inRussia.

So, can he still vote in the2016 election?

Absolutely, yes, according to Ben Wizner, leading U.S. attorney for Snowden and director of the Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project at the American Civil Liberties Union.

The short answer is: Hes eligible, Wizner told the Daily Dot when asked about Snowdens voter status. Theres no legal basis whatsoever for depriving Edward Snowden of the right to vote. Hes been convicted of no crime, much less one that would strip him of his civil rights.

Two and a half years after his leak of secret National Security Agency documents, Snowden remains at the center of the ongoing debate over the balance between civil liberties and security. Whoever becomes the next president of the United States must grapple with this issue in a post-Snowden world, making his ability to actually vote for his candidate of choice all that more important, if only symbolically.

He has every much right to vote as any other American citizen, added Wizner, who took on Snowdens case shortly after the North Carolina native turned 30 and became stranded in the transit zone of Moscow airport.

Before absconding to Hong Kong in May 2013, Snowden rented a three-bedroom house in the Waipahu community of Oahu. He had arrived on Hawaiis most populous island in March 2012, after accepting a technologist position with Dell, a leading U.S. government contractor.

To vote in Hawaii, Snowden need only be registered and considered a resident of the state. (His attorney declined to confirm his residency status.) Without a conviction, the charges against him, which carry a penalty of up to 30 years in prison, have no bearing on his voter eligibility.

Im not aware of any state that disenfranchise people accused of crimes, said Richard Hasen, a professor of law and political science at the University of California, Irvine. If he did not renounce his citizenship and intends to return to Hawaii, my guess is he could request an absentee ballot. But again, it is a matter of state law.

With regards to voting, Hawaii has some of the most relaxed laws in the country. Voting rights can only be suspended while a convicted felon is serving prison time. Even while on parole or probation, a released felon can participate in an election by re-registering with the state's election office at a minimum of seven days in advance.

Only in Maine and Vermont are the laws more laid back, permitting convicted felons to complete absentee ballots from behind bars.

At the other end of the spectrum, 11 statesAlabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee, Virginia, Wyomingreserve the right to permanently strip residents of the vote due to past crimes.

And in eight U.S. statesIdaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, South Carolina, and South Dakotabeing incarcerated for a low-level misdemeanor means a suspension of voting rights.

With the worlds most populous prison system, America's felony disenfranchisement significantly reduces the number of votes on election day. An estimated 5.85 million Americans will be denied the right to vote in the 2016 presidential elections due to a criminal record, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, disproportionately affecting racial and ethnic minorities who now make up 60 percent of the U.S. prison population.

Of the 2.2 million Americans incarcerated, more than 200,000 are under the federal governments control. As of Sept. 30, 2014, 50 percent of them were serving time for drug offenses.

Even more striking is that, while only making up one-third of the population, two-thirds of all incarcerated drug offenders are people of color, despite research showing white Americans consume illicit drugs at a far greater rate than their minority counterparts.

According to the Sentencing Project, oneof every 13African-Americans will be ineligible to vote in the upcoming election.

Illustration by Max Fleishman

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Can Edward Snowden vote in the 2016 elections?

What do Kanye West and Jeb Bush have in common? Well, neither has had a great week Kanye with his new album release and Jeb with his ratings in the GOP presidential nomination race. Whistleblower Edward Snowden nailed their plight in one tweet.

On top of troubles withThe Life of Pablo (TLOP)reviews, West revealed that hewould not sell his album for another week and that he is $53 million in debt. He also asked Mark Zuckerberg to invest $1bn in"into Kanye West ideas."

Kanye's plea went without response from Facebook founder, but not without one from Edward Snowden, the famous NSA whistleblower currently residing somewhere in Russia.

The desperate tone reminded Snowden of another public plea

The please clap reference is a jab at Jeb Bushs now infamous request during a speech in New Hampshire, during which he had to implore the crowd to demonstrate its support for his ideas.

Kanye has yet to respond to the former National Security Agency contractor turned privacy hero. But will this become the next Ghostface vs Shkreli? Only time will tell.

Link:
Edward Snowden burns Jeb, Kanye in one devastating tweet

Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden hosted an intimate yet high-tech conversation in Boulder on Tuesday evening, sharing his thoughts on human rights, terrorism and why he leaked information on domestic surveillance programs during a live video chat from Moscow.

Wearing black earbuds and sitting in front of a black backdrop, the image of Snowden filled a giant projector screen hanging above the stage in Macky Auditorium at the University of Colorado.

Snowden took questions from author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind, who sat in a chair on stage and peered into a large computer screen, before answering a few questions collected via social media from attendees using the hashtag #SnowdenCU.

Bob Hopper, of Boulder, listens to Edward Snowden speak during a live video chat Tuesday night on the University of Colorado's Boulder campus. (Jeremy Papasso / Staff Photographer)

Snowden is facing federal charges in the U.S. including some brought under the 1917 Espionage Act for leaking government documents, and had his U.S. passport revoked. But despite all of that, he pointed out that he was still able to communicate with hundreds of people in Boulder.

He said technology has empowered us.

"It is the end of exile in a very new and real way," he said.

While Snowden spoke from 5,500 miles away using Google Hangouts it was 5 a.m. in Moscow when the talk started the auditorium was peppered with light from iPhone screens as students and community members tweeted rapidly, asking questions about Snowden's life in Russia and his views on presidential politics.

Snowden walked the audience through the events leading up to his decision to share thousands of classified documents with journalists in 2013.

He said he became increasingly disturbed by the fact that the public was no longer a partner to the government.

"They were watching everyone, everywhere, all the time," he said. "It was indiscriminate or dragnet surveillance."

Snowden discussed the difference between legality and morality, pointing out various times in history when laws were later deemed to be immoral, and said he never meant to become the focus of the story.

"I set out to let the public have the information they should have always had that the government kept secret," he said. "You should decide for yourself what kind of world you want to live in."

He refuted the argument that most Americans shouldn't care about mass surveillance by the government because they have nothing to hide.

"That's a fundamental misunderstanding of rights," Snowden said. "It's no different than saying you don't care about the freedom of speech because you have nothing to say."

As the event continued, some of the audience's focus shifted to the moderator, who drew criticism for frequently interrupting Snowden.

Though the complaints burbled up on social media, at one point an audience member shouted, "Let him talk!" which drew loud cheers.

Snowden's appearance was put on by CU's Distinguished Speakers Board, which paid $56,000 in student fees for the event, a total that included Suskind's fee. It's not known how much Snowden received.

Sarah Kuta: 303-473-1106, kutas@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/sarahkuta

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On Tuesday, a federal magistrate-judge ruled that Apple must help the FBI break into the phone of one of the San Bernardino shooters. The FBI was unable to figure out the shooter's passcode, which is the only way to get inside his iPhone.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is furious, saying that the U.S. government is trying to undermine the security of its flagship product.

"The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers," Cook said.

Apple plans to fight the decision, aided by the ACLU.

On Wednesday, the divide was clear: politicians versus engineers.

"The FBI is creating a world where citizens rely on Apple to defend their rights, rather than the other way around," Snowden said Wednesday morning on Twitter.

Late Wednesday, Silicon Valley's powerful tech industry trade group came out in support of Apple too.

"We worry about the broader implications ... of requiring technology companies to cooperate with governments to disable security features, or introduce security vulnerabilities," said the Information Technology Industry Council, which represents Dell, Facebook (FB, Tech30), Google, Hewlett Packard (HPE, Tech30), IBM (IBM, Tech30), Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30), Nokia (NOK) and others.

For years, the FBI has demanded special access into smartphones. Tech companies have refused, instead increasing the security of their customers' data.

Cryptographers, the scholars who build security into technology, have unanimously warned that special access is a dangerous idea. To them, this isn't about security competing with privacy. It's just about security.

Read more: Ex-NSA boss says FBI director is wrong on encryption

Tech companies, like Apple (AAPL, Tech30) and Google (GOOGL, Tech30), have security on their devices to keep everyone out: hackers, governments, even the companies themselves.

But if they're forced to open a door for police, criminal hackers and government thugs can get in too.

This battle over data encryption has finally reached a peak.

Read more: The encryption debate... in 2 minutes

The San Bernardino shooter, Syed Farook, used an iPhone 5C. The FBI has been trying to guess his passcode to unlock it. If they guess wrong 10 times, Farook's iPhone will permanently erase all the data stored inside.

Apple doesn't hold the keys to his device. But the FBI wants Apple to create a special version of its iOS software that will get loaded onto the phone, circumvent Apple's security features and let agents hack it.

Dan Guido, who runs the cybersecurity firm Trail of Bits, explained in a blog post Wednesday that this hack is possible. He said it would work on any iPhone 5C or older model, putting them "at risk when they're confiscated by law enforcement around the world."

Read more: Terrorists hide plans by 'going dark'

Last year, the world's top cryptographers issued a joint paper saying this is a bad idea. CNNMoney asked them if this particular San Bernardino case changes their mind. All seven who responded said no.

Matthew Green, who teaches cryptography and computer security at Johns Hopkins University, fears it's a slippery slope. If Apple complies with the government this time, it'll be forced to in the future.

"I haven't seen any guiding principle that would prevent this from getting out of hand. It could easily result in every American becoming less secure," he said.

Columbia University computer science professor Steven M. Bellovin said that if Apple doesn't resist the FBI, it'll soon face the same pressure from authoritarian and repressive governments like China.

"This makes it much easier for others -- other police departments, other governments -- to demand the same thing," he said.

Bruce Schneier, one of the world's top cryptographers, warned that criminals could also use this kind of special access to break into people's phones to steal messages, photographs and other personal information. If Apple creates a weaker version of its operating system, others will get their hands on it.

Most tech industry executives -- who normally tout privacy -- remained silent Wednesday. WhatsApp cofounder Jan Koum stood out with this message on Facebook: "We must not allow this dangerous precedent to be set."

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, one of the few politicians to rise to Apple's defense, said "no company should be forced to deliberately weaken its products."

(Read more: Manhattan DA says Apple makes terrorism cases 'go cold')

Other politicians pushed back on that idea Wednesday. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters that the FBI is "not asking Apple to redesign its product or create a new backdoor to one of their products. They're simply asking for something that would have an impact on this one device."

Leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump weighed in too, saying, "we have to open it up." Marco Rubio, who is also vying for the Republican presidential nomination, said Apple should give up its fight and be "a good corporate citizen."

But even those who support the FBI's demands say it's a point of no return. Cyrus Walker teaches at the government-funded Cyber Defense Analysis Center, where he trains federal agents and police how to hack smartphones in criminal cases.

"If Apple demonstrates the ability to get around its own security countermeasures, that bell is rung and can't be un-rung," said Walker.

CNNMoney (New York) First published February 17, 2016: 1:01 PM ET

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Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden hailed Apple for refusing to comply with a federal court order to unlock the iPhone used by one of the killers in the San Bernardino mass shooting. Google CEO Sundar Pichai warned of setting a "troubling precedent."

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On Tuesday, a federal judge ordered Apple to help the FBI break into the iPhone of one of the killers in the San Bernardino, Calif., shootings. Video by Ryan Holmes for USA TODAY

Edward Snowden is seen on a monitor during a live video feed at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Oct. 10, 2015.(Photo: Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has backed Apple's refusal to comply with a federal court order to help the FBI unlock an iPhone used by one of the assailants in the mass shootings in San Bernardino, Calif., in December.

"The @FBI is creating a world where citizens rely on #Apple to defend their rights, rather than the other way around," Snowden tweeted.

Snowden called on Internet giant Google to stand with Apple, saying, "This is the most important tech case in a decade."

USA TODAY

Latest: Apple vs. U.S. over terrorist's iPhone

Google CEO Sundar Pichai took a public stand in support of Apple in a series of tweets lateWednesday, saying "forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users privacy" and would set a"troubling precedent."

USA TODAY

Here's why the FBI forcing Apple to break into an iPhone is a big deal

Apple CEO Tim Cook said late Tuesday that his company would oppose a federal judge's ruling ordering the technology giant to help investigators break into an iPhone belonging to San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook.

"We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI, and we believe their intentions are good. Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them," Cook wrote in a letter published on Apple's website.

"But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone."

Apple and Google engineered their software so they cannot unlock devices in the wake of damaging revelations by Snowden that made the world suspicious they created "back doors" for American intelligence and law enforcement.

The fear: Unlocking the iPhone could hand law enforcement a master encryption key. The FBI hasn't been able to access the smartphone because it is passcode-protected.

"The technical changes the @FBI demands would make it possible to break into an iPhone (5C or older) in a half hour,"Snowden tweeted.

Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people in December in a mass shooting at a county public health facility. The pairdied in a gun battle with police. An iPhone 5C was recovered from the scene.

USA TODAY

Apple could break into its iPhones in an afternoon, say experts

Snowden tweets fromexile

Snowden has been living in exile in Russia to avoid facing prosecution in the United States for leaking government secrets. He joined Twitter lastSeptember. His Twitter profile reads: "I used to work for the government. Now I work for the public."

He has found a receptive audience on Twitter. Twitter has positioneditself as a digital bastion of free speech and acore group of Twitter users oppose government surveillance and intrusion.

Snowden and Pichaiwerenot the only prominent voices in the tech world to commend Apple on Wednesday.

WhatsApp founder and Facebook board member Jan Koum posted on Facebook: "I have always admired Tim Cook for his stance on privacy and Apple's efforts to protect user data and couldn't agree more with everything said in their Customer Letter today. We must not allow this dangerous precedent to be set. Today our freedom and our liberty is at stake."

USA TODAY

Terrorist's locked phone adds urgency to encryption debate in Congress

Follow USA TODAY senior technology writer Jessica Guynn@jguynn

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Speaking via Skype from Russia, Edward Snowden told an audience of supporters in New Hampshire on Saturday that he is willing to be extradited to the United States if the federal government would guarantee he would get a fair trial.

The former National Security Agency contractor in 2013 leaked details of a secret government eavesdropping program and left the country. He faces U.S. charges that could land him in prison for up to 30 years.

Snowden spoke Saturday at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum, heavily attended by libertarians.WMUR reported that forum organizers did not allow the media to video record his remarks.

"I've told the government I would return if they would guarantee a fair trial where I can make a public interest defense of why this was done and allow a jury to decide," Snowden told his audience.

Snowden has previously spoken of making offers to the government to return home and his willingness to discuss a plea deal and even go to jail. Last year, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said a plea deal with Snowden was a possibility, but Snowden told the BBC in an interview in October that he and his lawyers were still waiting to hear from the government.

Snowden's revelations about the NSA, Britain's GCHQ and other intelligence agencies set off an international debate about spies' powers to monitor personal communications, and about the balance between security and privacy. Critics say his disclosures harmed the ability of the United States and its allies to fight terrorism.

To some, he is a traitor; to others, a hero.

Saturday, Snowden said that while some of his former colleagues at the NSA and the Central Intelligence Agency were sympathetic to his beliefs concerning individual privacy and freedom, others said "the Constitution doesn't really matter."

Associated Press

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Edward Snowden appears on live video feed broadcast from Moscow. Photograph: Marco Garcia/AP

Edward Snowden has told supporters he would be willing to return to the US if the government could guarantee a fair trial.

The former National Security Agency contractor, who has been living in Russia since June 2013, said he would present a public interest defence of his decision to leak thousands of classified intelligence documents if he appeared before a US jury. Ive told the government I would return if they would guarantee a fair trial where I can make a public interest defence of why this was done and allow a jury to decide, Snowden told a libertarian conference, the New Hampshire Liberty Forum.

Related: Edward Snowden attacks UK government over investigatory powers bill

Snowden, who was speaking via Google Hangouts, faces US charges under the Espionage Act that could land him in prison for up to 30 years.

In May 2013, Snowden flew to Hong Kong after leaving his job at an NSA facility in Hawaii. The following month he revealed thousands of classified NSA documents, and then travelled to Russia, where he was subsequently granted asylum.

The documents revealed the existence of mass surveillance programmes run by the NSA and British intelligence agency GCHQ, which involved the bulk interception of phonecalls and internet traffic.

Snowden has previously spoken of making offers to the government to return home and his willingness to discuss a plea deal and even go to jail. But in an interview on BBC Panorama last year, the whistleblower said the US justice department had made no effort to contact him.

Snowdens revelations set off an international debate about the balance between security and privacy. Supporters hailed Snowden for exposing what they saw in some cases as an illegal invasion of privacy, while critics believed he hampered the security services ability to fight terrorism.

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