Say what you want about the prior acts of Edward Snowden, but good, bad, or otherwise, the man is in a position to look at the recent Wikileaks document dump and shed some light on whats really at play. <\/p>\n
Snowden, currently living in asylum in Russia while a wanted man in his native United States, suggested via Twitter that the docs look authentic to him. He offers not only an explanation of what led him to draw the conclusion that theyre real, but also talks about what he finds to be the biggest story amidst the thousands of docs and cables. <\/p>\n
He provides his thoughts in some pretty intuitive and logically successive tweets which tell the story well devoid of any other necessary context. <\/p>\n
He also posits that the documents reveal the governments activity in keeping privately-produced software vulnerable so that they can access data contained therein. That part is more difficult to ascertain based on the snippets he presents, but you certainly can choose to take him at his word or not. <\/p>\n
The last time this issue made headlines was in the fallout of the San Bernadino shooting when the U.S. government tried to compel Apple to assist in accessing the shooters phone in the name of national security. Apple declined, stating that act would undercut the publics faith in not just Apples willingness to maintain privacy, but all companies. <\/p>\n
If what Snowdens saying here is true that the U.S. government is hacking the software of U.S.-made products that might all be moot, as theyll gain access without assistance. And the holes that they leave open can allow other rogue hackers to gain the same access in pursuit of whatever ends they seek. <\/p>\n
Boiled down, his observations, however insightful, tell us what most of us already presumed the U.S. government cares more about information gathering than it does about the privacy of its citizens. Perhaps not a revelation, but hopefully this concrete evidence, if true, will result in answers and explanations. <\/p>\n
Never one to leave us on an upbeat note, Snowden let us know the many, many ways the government could be peering into your life. <\/p>\n
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