We all remember the infamous Edward Joseph Snowden: National Security Agency contractor, Rubiks Cube holder, and the person responsible for leaking the highly classified online surveillance program PRISM in 2013, which revealed that the NSA was spying on American citizens through SMS messages, tracking phone calls, contact information and a slew of other personal records.

After the U.S. revoked Snowdens American passport, he officially became a fugitive from the United States. However, on Sept. 26, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin granted him citizenship in Russia.

The prototypical controversy of whether Snowden is a hero or traitor can act as a cushion to debate the more critical question in American politics; where is the line between national security and upholding the right to privacy for American citizens? What is more important: order and safety or freedom and civil liberties?

There are definitive extremes that need to be avoided on either side of the controversy. Chinas social credit system is a painstakingly intricate surveillance system in which citizens are reprimanded when exhibiting bad behavior and rewarded when executing good behavior. The government uses facial recognition cameras to monitor peoples everyday activities, movements and exact locations. The Orwellian extremism of this apparatus is justified as a system meant to provide order and safety in China, but neglects individuals personal right to privacy and other civil liberties.

On the other end of the spectrum, Finland considers privacy a rudimentary right for all citizens, and since the Personal Data Act passed in 2019, any person collecting personal data in that country is required to have a clearly defined purpose and consent for gathering such information. This model can present obstacles since some agencies require time sensitive or highly classified data that can not be overtly disclosed to the public, or may be unable to devote the time it takes to filter through residual information while also gaining consent. This is not to mention all of the data that would be inadvertently collected to find a specific target, for which a clear purpose and consent would also be needed.

This ideological continuum needs to be replaced by pragmatism; the contextual prioritization of civilian privacy rights and/or governmental intervention to protect all interests of the American public. Despite Snowdens claim that the purpose of the leak was to inform the public as to what is done in their name and that which is done against them, the informations release could have obstructed U.S. efforts to preempt thousands of potential terrorist attacks, which in turn potentially put the lives of millions at risk.

It is crucial to mention that the NSA (including the existence of PRISM) is an anti-terrorist agency designed to keep Americans safe. While this federal organization may not deploy the U.S. military to protect the public, it can be argued that its methods are more contemporary given the digital status quo advancement of our country. The NSA eliminates threats to U.S. national security systems by providing foreign signals intelligence and to policymakers and the military as needed to defend the nation and strengthen U.S. goals and alliances internationally, according to its website.

When the right to privacy faces national security threats, the safety of the American public should always take precedence. Without the maintenance of citizens welfare, the integrity and mere existence of civil liberties would not exist. It is like a country attempting to formalize a system of government without having a constitution to reference the criteria of that government. This is all disregarding the legal perspective of the controversy: which Snowden was found to have violated the Espionage Act of 1917, indicating that his release of classified information amounted to an act of treason.

Circling back to the most recent turn of events, the whistleblower himself has been granted citizenship in Russia. The question now is why Putin would sign off on such a degree. On the topic of Russias invasion of Ukraine, Snowden claims to have lost any confidence [he] had that sharing [his] thinking on this particular topic continues to be useful. This provokes suspicion why would a man responsible for one of the biggest exposures of U.S. secrets suddenly lose his voice in the face of an international war? Does Putin have leverage over Snowden?

As Snowdens saga continues, it is crucial for U.S. citizens, students, seniors and parents alike to not only observe his character but notice the multifaceted repercussions of his actions and how they continue to elicit the controversy of order and safety versus freedom of privacy and civil liberties on a more international level.

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Snowden's newfound Russian citizenship reignites the debate of privacy versus safety in the US - Tufts Daily

Was it a shock whenLaura Poitras new documentary All The Beauty And The Bloodshed, aboutNan Goldinand the fall of the Sackler family, won the Golden Lion atVenicein September? Only in that its the second documentary ever to win Venices top prize. After all, Poitrass credentials speak for themselves. Her 2014 film Citizenfour, about Edward Snowden and the NSA spying scandal, won Best Documentary Feature at the 87thAcademy Awards.

But now moviegoers get to see what took the Lido by storm last month as All The Beauty And The Bloodshed begins its US theatrical tour. Fresh off of screenings atTIFFandNYFF, the film continues its festival tour in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and elsewhere before it hits NYC theaters on November 23, LA theaters on December 2, and additional markets on December 9.

Heres an official synopsis of the film, courtesy ofNEON:

Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is an epic, emotional and interconnected story about internationally renowned artist and activist Nan Goldin told through her slideshows, intimate interviews, ground-breaking photography, and rare footage of her personal fight to hold the Sackler family accountable for the overdose crisis.

Along with directing, Poitras also produces Bloodshed with Goldin,Yoni Golijov,Howard Gertler, andJohn Lyons.

Check out the list of upcoming screenings for All The Beauty And The Bloodshed below. Also below: a new trailer for the film.

GlobeDocs, Boston 10/14

New York Film Week 10/20

Chicago International Film Festival 10/22

NewFest 10/23

Philadelphia Film Festival 10/28

Austin Film Festival 10/31

Denver Film Festival 11/5

Doc NYC 11/10

Houston Cinema Arts Festival 11/11

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'All The Beauty And The Bloodshed' Trailer: Laura Poitras' Golden Lion Winner Hits US Theaters Later This Fall - The Playlist

The man behind the Luanda Leaks that exposed how the Angolan presidents daughter embezzled millions of euros through her companies based in Malta, the Malta Files exposing the underbelly of Maltas offshore corporate system and the Football Leaks began giving statements in his trial in Portugal this week.

Rui Pinto stands accused of a total of 90 crimes: six of illegitimate access, one of computer sabotage, 14 of tampering with correspondence, 68 of improper access and one charge of attempted extortion against a Malta-based football agent.

The Luanda Leaks exposed how Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of the former President of Angola, set up a complex web of shell companies to allegedly channel undue profits enabled by nepotism.

Of those shell companies, 14 were set up in Malta to take advantage of the Maltese corporate regime for such illicit dealings.

In court on Tuesday, Pinto finally began giving statements in a trial that has been ongoing since September 2020.

He has already admitted to releasing 70 million documents on transactions involving top European football clubs but argues he is a whistleblower and not a criminal

Pinto is accused of hacking into the computer systems of a number of professional football clubs and intermediaries, to reveal the inner dealings of clubs, players and agents.

Pintos lawyers arguehe has authorities tackle crime in football, especially when it comes to the games more obscure financial wheelings and dealings and insists his motivation was a public duty to expose serious wrongdoings that had gone unnoticed by authorities.

In a letter to the trial judge, Pintos lawyers said he was outraged by illicit financial activity in European football and decided to investigate what was taking place because the authorities werent doing enough. He insists a substantial part of the information he revealed was anonymously leaked to him and not hacked.

His lawyers insist he is a very important European whistleblower and plan to summon at least 45 witnesses, including Edward Snowden, a former employee of the American intelligence charged with espionage, and the former French financial judge Eva Joly.

Pinto managed to obtain millions of documents and correspondence, which were then published on the Football Leaks website before being sent to media houses.

German news magazineDer Spiegel was the first to publish the leaks in 2016. Pintoadmits he was behind the documents but insists he acted in good faith.

The trove of information revealed details about the transfer fees and salaries of a number of the games top players, including Brazils Neymar, then at Barcelona FC, Radamel Falcao, who at the time was playing for AS Monaco, and Real Madrids Gareth Bale.

The documents also alleged that two of European footballs biggest clubs Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain ignored spending regulations imposed by UEFA.

Pintofaces 90 charges related to hacking computer systems, including those at the Portuguese attorney generals office, the Portuguese Football Federation, Sporting Lisbon football club, and Doyen sports management firm.

Amongst the other charges, Pinto is also accused of hacking Doyen Sports, an investment fund based in Malta, which was at the heart of the Football Leaks scandal.He also stands accused of asking Doyen for as much as 1 million to stop him publishing compromising documents he had retrieved and of having hacked Sporting, a Lisbon football club.

If found guilty on all charges,Pintocould face decades in prison.

Pintos defence team on Tuesday asked for the magistrates recusal, which was denied, and a complaint has been filed at the European Court of Human Rights.

Pinto said in court on Tuesday that he has also been helping Ukraines secret services: Some friends and I have been giving information to the Ukrainian intelligence services, he said, explaining how the data consists of intercepts of radio communications, satellite images and some locations of Russian troops all through open sources.

I have done things legally, he stressed.

As for the Luanda Leaks, Pinto observed how Isabel dos Santos continues to live peacefully in Dubai.

Secrecy between client and lawyer should not be used to protect the practice of crimes, he said in court on Tuesday.I have already called them the architects of the biggest money laundering and tax fraud schemes. There is a lot of impunity. everything, I have not given up despite fighting for transparency and truth.

According to the Luanda Leaks investigation conducted by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Angolese billionaire Isabel dos Santos and her husband Sindika Dokolo have or held a stake as shareholders in 14 companies that were set up in Malta, making it a popular destination for the couples, according to an investigation done by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

The links to Malta with Africas wealthiest woman and her husband were revealed in theLuanda Leaks, the investigation that leaked around700,000 financial and business records showing how dos Santos built her business empire over two decades on insider deals that left oil and diamond-rich Angola one of the poorest countries on Earth. The documents were leaked following work by the Protect Whistleblowers in Africa platform and the ICIJ.

In fact, the number ofhost companiesearned Malta the title of a popular destination for the couple.

Malta, in fact, had the third-highest number of companies linked to the couples business empire, naturally following Angola (81) and Portugal (17).

The rest is here:
Whistleblower behind Luanda Leaks, Malta Files and Football Leaks on trial - The Shift News

The most interesting part of this drama, though, takes place on the Iranian side of the border and doesnt involve characters who are trying to leave the country. The village where Panahis renting a room is embroiled in a conflict over two men who have claims on the same young woman. One was betrothed to her at birth, a local custom; the other is the guy she actually wants to marry. Because the villagers think Panahi has filmed the two lovers, their leaders (all male, of course) demand his footage and then an oath from him that he is loath to give.

More than his other recent films, No Bears shows the influence of Panahis mentor Abbas Kiarostami, especially the Kiarostami films Through the Olive Trees and The Wind Will Carry Us. But perhaps most significant is that, rather than impugning the Islamic regime here, Panahi, like Kiarostami and Mohsen Makhmalbaf before him, is interrogating the deep structures of Irans pre-modern, non-urban culture. The villagers antiquated morals and worldview, he implies, are whats imprisoning them, not any political strictures. Its a resonant message at a time when authoritarian leaders in Russia, Brazil, the U.S. and other countries evidently have the backing of substantial portions of their populations.

Very much in line with his last four, made-in-secret features, No Bears is another penetrating, highly accomplished work by a master filmmaker. As such, it may well belong to the outgoing era of Iranian filmmaking. But one hopes that the next era will have room for the understated wit that Panahi often displays. This films title, incidentally, comes from a scene when the director is warned to avoid a certain area at night because of the danger of bears. Later, he asks about the same path and is told, oh, there are no bears!another sign that many of the perils plaguing this place are imaginary, deriving from ancestral fears.

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NYFF 2022: No Bears, R.M.N., All the Beauty and the Bloodshed | Festivals & Awards - Roger Ebert

Introduction

Ayman Al Zawahiri is reported to have been killed in a smooth surgical missile strike by the USA, firing two Hellfire R9X missiles on the target, and apparently without any collateral damage.

This news flash brought back the memories of the 2011 Operation Neptune Spear by the US Navy Seals that killed Osama Bin Laden, the founder of Al Qaeda. Zawahiri became the chief of this terror group after Laden was killed in 2011.

President Joe Biden has even more reasons to experience a sense of achievement in the success ofthe recent operation as he was the Vice President back then in 2011, sitting in the Situation Control Room along with the then President Barack Obama and other officials, as they all watched the Laden hunt being live telecasted from Pakistan. The tweets by Biden and Obama posted after the recent operations also point towards this bonhomie. The recent operation draws on from the experiences of the CIA and the US military strikes in West Asia, global opinions, human right concerns and lessons learnt from the 2011 strike. This article analyzes the important elements of the change in Americas targeted killing strategy since 2011.

Background

Ever since the 9/11 WTC attacks carried outin New York, Bin Laden had become the face of global terror. From a mystical figure wandering across the Hindu-Kush, he now suddenly found himself to be the most sought after terrorist in the world and his name was at the top in wanted lists of many countries. The CIA and Pentagon effectively used the 9/11 incident to enhance their budgets and capabilities, the rationale behind doing so being justified by the horrendous attack that killed over 3000 people.

The CIA launched a massive intelligence gathering campaign, combining technical surveillance with extensive human intelligence gathering even resorting to inhuman methods of interrogation. The message was clear on Americas part as they declared the so called Global War on Terror with the famous axiom in this war, you are either with us or against us.

It was quite amusing to see Barack Obama saying in his recent tweet after the successful operation that killed Zawahiri: roots of terror can be destroyed, without declaring a war on terror but that was what he effectively did during his tenure at the White House, ordering almost 10 times more drone strikes than George Bush[1].

Way back in 2011, the CIA presented their assessments and plans to Barack Obama regarding the Abottabad compound that they doubted was Ladens safe house. CIA had inputs from many sources, including an ISI officer who tipped them off about the location of this compound. The CIA and other American agencies like the NSA and NGA had even bought a safe house in Abottabad to keep 24*7 surveillance on the suspected site.

The mandate from the leadership was said to be capture or kill Osama Bin Laden[2], which became controversial later with some sections saying Laden should have been captured alive while most others being in favor of shoot-at-sight:

The Strategy:

The President was presented with multiple options like a drone strike (firing targeted missiles), a commando raid, bombing the compound by B-52 stealth bombers etc. One of the options to conduct a joint operation with Pakistan to kill Laden was ruled out , due to suspicions on Pakistans reliability. Barack Obama eventually ruled out the other options and confirmed the plan for a quiet midnight commando raid by Special Forces, who used modified Black Hawk helicopters, with mission specific arms and ammunitions. Joe Biden is said to have also advised Obama about the possible ramifications for Pakistan when the knowledge of this operation became public.

Aftermath Factor:

Possibilities of collateral damage, other civilian casualties in the area etc. were also factored in. The CIA said they were unsure if aerial bombing would work, incase there is an underground bunker lying there. Also it would have been impossible to verify if Laden was dead, since till last moment the CIA had no photograph of the white clothed man wandering in this compound, to be Bin Laden or someone else. It was only after the Navy Seals saw Laden and shot him, it was confirmed that he was dead.

On-ground Strategy:

A house intervention model of attack was followed with the Forces entering from the terrace and ground floor simultaneously, clearing out each room one by one. Laden was eventually discovered on the 3rd floor and as he tried to hide, a commando took 3 successive shots and killed him straight. A huge amount of hard drives, computers and whatever else the Seals could lay their hands on was taken away as evidence for further analysis.

Operational issues:

One of the helicopters that had crashed in the compound was blown up by explosives to avoid reverse engineering attempts on the technology by Pakistan and China, and the remaining copters were used to carry Ladens body back with the hit teams and the collected evidence. Laden was quietly buried in an unknown location in the Arabian Sea within 24 hours of the strike. During the raid other occupants of the house who came in the way of the commandoes were also shot dead[3].

Kill confirmation and identification:

Facial identification confirmed that it was Osama Bin Laden. To be doubly sure, one of the Navy Seals was made to lie down next to Ladens body -and the body length also matched (6 feet). You just blew up a $65 million helicopter and you dont have enough money to buy a tape measure?, Barack Obama is said to have remarked back then![4] .

Public knowledge of the operation:

The White House issued a statement next day, saying the President will address the nation at around 10 pm local time, but some junior officer from the Navys intelligence department leaked out the news of Ladens death at around 9.45PM. The media was quick to pick this up, while the Presidential address happened around 11pm in the night.

Global responses

Pakistan was quite embarrassed, as ithad always denied knowledge of existence of Laden on its land. Media reports mentioned that Pak allowed the Chinese to have a look at the wreckage of the damaged helicopter.

USA came in under huge criticism world over as more information about its detention centers, illegal interrogations and surveillances became public. Wikileaks and Edward Snowden also helped the world know about the CIAs excesses in trying to catch Bin Laden. This became all the more important after US announced withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014, that stretched to 2020 due to various reasons. The global opinion had been rising against Americas double standards and selective actions on terrorism as also its tacit support to Pakistan while being fully aware of Paks support to terrorism. This became a learning point for all future special operations wherein America relied on no one else to carry out a similar strike.

The Hunt for Ayman-Al-Zawahiri:

Its interesting to note that both Laden and Zawahiri carried a 25 million dollar bounty on their heads , as announced by USA and both were killed in militaryoperations. Both were instrumental in planning the 9/11 attacks and that the leader of the violent jihadist group was in Afghanistan was not surprising: since the hard-line Islamist Taliban regained control in August, Al-Qaeda has felt more at home, analysts say. In the recent operations as well, this was an important consideration as the consequences of this operation on US-Taliban relationship was factored in, before giving the go ahead to kill Zawahiri no official bilateral relations exist as of now, so that was not so much a concern for USA.

The intelligence derived from the huge trove of information hard drives in 2011 was used effectively in tracking down Al-Qaeda members and other suspects, planning drone strikes killing terror sympathisers in Syria, Yemen, Somalia etc. since 2011. The USA could now map, identify, and link bits and pieces of information to make a careful selection of their targets. As Zawahiri assumed the top post in Al Qaeda after Laden was killed, he was quite obviously on the CIAs hit list.

As was the case in 2011, the whole complex, its structure, material, surrounding buildings etc. were studied and it was decided to attack only Zawahiri, ensuring no other civilian casualties and infrastructure damage. US officials presented the house model and a final attack plan to President Biden on July 1st 2022. Issues that may arise due to weather, structure of building, collateral risks etc. were discussed out.

The main points of departure from the 2011 case were:

This minimised the post operations risk for the USA as even the attacking weapon, time of assault and the transport vehicle were aptly chosen as per the mission requirements. Also, the operation was made public by the President of the USA himself, thereby giving no chance to other non state entities inside or outside USA to leak out the news.

Also, since just Zawahiri is said to have been eliminated there has been no counter response from human rights organisations and other sympathisers of the Al Qaeda.

The strike involved a US drone (most probably the Reaper), armed with two precision-guided Hellfire missiles (R9X version), which were launched at 6:18AM Kabul time on 31st July 2022[5] .Zawahiri was killed on the balcony an official told the western news agencies. But since then no pictures or other data confirming the death of Zawahiri has been made available in the public domain. The only reliable sources remain the official tweets, news reports and response by the Taliban government.

A normal version of HELLFIRE missile carries high explosives warheads that explode on impact and create area damage. But the R9X version deploys a series of six sharp knife-like blades from its fuselage and shreds its target but leaves nearby people and objects intact[6]. Some people describe it as a falling anvil from the sky.

This has earned it a deadly reputation by names of flying ginsu or flying ninja[7] as this missile has been used many times by US forces to kill other jihadist group leaders without hurting people around them.

It has now become the go-to weapon for targeted killings of high value targets by the USA and as is the ritual in the intelligence community, the CIA never acknowledges the airstrikes it conducts. On previous occasions also, officials in USA have admitted to conducting such strikes, but on the usage of Hellfire missile neither any official, military contractor or the manufacturer of the original Hellfire series have responded to the use of this missile. The US government has never accepted or rejected the possession of this missile in its arsenal.

Thus, the counter terrorism strategies would further evolve in coming years as new technology increasingly has an influence on tactics and strategy, making them an important influencer in planning offensive operations. This would also mitigate the concerns on human rights, innocent killings and infrastructural losses. If carried out in complete secrecy, such operations ensure almost zero accountability for the attacking side and thats how new era warfare would be potent , stealthy and anonymous.

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From Bin Laden to Al Zawahiri: The evolution of Americas Targeted Killing Strategy - Indian Defence Review