Snowden's Warning: Cia Monitoring And Surveillance

Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the CIA, leaked classified information to journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, revealing global surveillance programs run by US and British intelligence agencies. Snowden, who has been granted asylum in Russia, faces espionage charges over his actions.

Snowden leaked thousands of classified documents to the press, exposing the NSA's illegal surveillance techniques. He explained his actions by saying that he wanted to tell the world the truth because he believed such large-scale surveillance on innocent citizens was unacceptable, and the public needed to know about it.

Snowden's leaks revealed that the NSA was collecting the telephone records of tens of millions of Americans, and that the agency had direct access to the servers of major tech companies including Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo. He also disclosed that the NSA and GCHQ were monitoring the phone calls of world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Snowden's actions sparked intense debate about national security and individual privacy, and he is now considered one of America's most consequential whistleblowers.

Snowden's revelations about the US government's domestic surveillance programs

Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the CIA, leaked details of extensive internet and phone surveillance by American intelligence to the media in 2013. Snowden, a computer security expert, was granted temporary asylum in Russia and faces espionage charges over his actions.

Snowden leaked classified information to journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, revealing global surveillance programs run by US and British intelligence agencies. He explained that he wanted to tell the world the truth because he believed such large-scale surveillance on innocent citizens was unacceptable and the public needed to know about it.

The leaks revealed that the US National Security Agency (NSA) was collecting the telephone records of tens of millions of Americans. The NSA had also tapped directly into the servers of nine internet firms, including Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, to track online communication in a surveillance programme known as Prism.

The leaks also revealed that the NSA regularly gathered intelligence at the New York and Washington offices of the European Union’s mission and had access to the United Nations’ internal video conferences. The agency also considered the Vienna headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as one of its major targets for spying.

Snowden also revealed that the NSA had secretly installed special software on about 100,000 computers around the globe, providing access to them and making cyber-attacks easier. In addition, the NSA used a secret technology that made it possible to hack computers not connected to the Internet.

The NSA and the Pentagon claim that Snowden stole about 1.7 million classified documents concerning the activities of US intelligence services and US military operations. He is charged with theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defence information, and willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorized person. He faces up to ten years in prison on each charge.

The CIA's attempts to recruit a Swiss banker

The CIA has been known to use unconventional methods to recruit individuals for their operations. One such incident involved the agency's attempts to recruit a Swiss banker by taking advantage of his drunkenness. This incident, which was later revealed by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, sheds light on the CIA's tactics and the impact it had on Snowden's views of the agency.

According to Snowden, the CIA operatives purposely got the Swiss banker drunk and encouraged him to drive home. When the banker was arrested for drunk driving, an undercover CIA agent offered to help, forming a bond that led to the banker's successful recruitment. Snowden, who was working as a CIA technician at the time, described these tactics as "dirty tricks" that disillusioned him about the agency's methods and their impact on the world.

Snowden's revelation of this incident highlights his concerns about the CIA's activities and their potential consequences. He believed that such actions could have far-reaching implications and negatively affect the public's perception of Swiss neutrality. This incident also raises questions about the level of involvement and knowledge of the Swiss government in these operations.

The CIA's recruitment methods, as described by Snowden, demonstrate their willingness to use manipulation and take advantage of individuals' vulnerabilities to achieve their objectives. This incident also showcases Snowden's disillusionment with the agency and his decision to expose their activities to the public.

The NSA's PRISM program

The NSA obtained direct access to the systems of major US internet giants, including Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Skype, according to a top-secret document obtained by The Guardian. The document, a 41-slide PowerPoint presentation, was used to train intelligence operatives on the capabilities of the program.

The PRISM program allows the NSA to obtain targeted communications without requesting them from service providers and without obtaining individual court orders. The agency can reach directly into the servers of participating companies and obtain both stored and live communications.

The program is said to be a streamlined system that allows companies to expedite court-approved data collection requests. However, critics are concerned about the extent of the program and whether it violates the constitutional rights of US citizens.

The PRISM program was revealed to the public by Edward Snowden, an NSA contractor, who leaked classified documents in 2013. Snowden has been labelled a whistleblower and a traitor, and his actions have sparked intense debate about national security and individual privacy.

The CIA's secret school for technology specialists

The school offers between 200 and 300 courses each year, covering a range of intelligence-related subjects, from chemical weapons manufacturing to foreign languages. Each course typically lasts two weeks or less, except for the basic training of new hires, which lasts several weeks, and language courses, which run between 21 and 44 weeks.

The CIA's secret school is known for its elite spy training program, where candidates spend at least six months mastering 007-style skills such as shooting Glocks and M4s, parachuting, speed boating, and recruiting assets. The school also teaches meditation to help trainees quiet their minds and hear themselves amid the constant game of pretend.

The CIA's secret school is not just about spooking and sleuthing; it also offers courses in communication skills, defensive driving, information technology, project management, and more. The school does not issue degrees, but it provides the skills and knowledge necessary for a career in intelligence.

One notable graduate of the CIA's secret school for technology specialists is Edward Snowden, who went on to become a well-known whistleblower. Snowden was sent to the school by the CIA and lived in a hotel for about six months while studying and training full-time. After completing his training, Snowden was stationed in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was responsible for maintaining computer network security and had access to a wide array of classified documents.

Snowden's time at the CIA, particularly his access to classified information, played a significant role in his decision to become a whistleblower. He began to question the rightness of what he saw and eventually chose to disclose numerous top-secret documents to the public, revealing the existence of global surveillance programs run by the CIA and other intelligence agencies.

Snowden's asylum in Russia

Edward Snowden, a former NSA intelligence contractor and whistleblower, fled to Moscow in 2013 to avoid espionage charges after leaking highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA). He was granted temporary asylum in Russia, which was extended until he was granted permanent residency in 2020 and Russian citizenship in 2022.

Snowden has expressed a desire to return to the US and has offered to go to prison, as long as his actions are deemed to have served a greater purpose. However, he also stated that he would not return to the US if it would result in him being made an example of and used to discourage others from standing up for their rights.

Snowden's actions have sparked intense debates about national security and individual privacy, with some praising him as a whistleblower and others condemning him as a traitor. His disclosures revealed numerous global surveillance programs, prompting discussions about the balance between national security and information privacy.

Frequently asked questions