U.S. court: Mass surveillance program exposed by Snowden was illegal

Deleted member 4346 · Sep 4, 2020

I didn't see a thread on this, but here goes:

U.S. court: Mass surveillance program exposed by Snowden was illegal

Seven years after former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the mass surveillance of Americans' telephone records, an appeals court has found the program was unlawful - and that the U.S. intelligence leaders who publicly defended it were...

www.reuters.com

Seven years after former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the mass surveillance of Americans' telephone records, an appeals court has found the program was unlawful - and that the U.S. intelligence leaders who publicly defended it were not telling the truth.

In a ruling handed down on Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said the warrantless telephone dragnet that secretly collected millions of Americans' telephone records violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and may well have been unconstitutional.

Snowden commented on Twitter:

I think it's pretty obviously unconstitutional to, without a warrant, violate the privacy of millions of innocent Americans. This practice should be ended and Snowden should receive a full presidential pardon. It's time to bring him home.

Volimar · Sep 4, 2020

Didn't they also find that the surveilance didn't prevent a single attack?

ToddBonzalez · Sep 4, 2020

So pardon him then.

tripleg · Sep 4, 2020

Volimar said:
Didn't they also find that the surveilance didn't prevent a single attack?

I mean are you surprised? That's almost like saying the TSA was created to prevent airplane hijackings.

hateradio · Sep 4, 2020

Round of applause for the Bush administration.

Deleted member 4346 · Sep 4, 2020

Volimar said:
Didn't they also find that the surveilance didn't prevent a single attack?

Yes, that's correct:

Up until that moment, top intelligence officials publicly insisted the NSA never knowingly collected information on Americans at all. After the program's exposure, U.S. officials fell back on the argument that the spying had played a crucial role in fighting domestic extremism, citing in particular the case of four San Diego residents who were accused of providing aid to religious fanatics in Somalia.

U.S. officials insisted that the four - Basaaly Saeed Moalin, Ahmed Nasir Taalil Mohamud, Mohamed Mohamud, and Issa Doreh - were convicted in 2013 thanks to the NSA's telephone record spying, but the Ninth Circuit ruled Wednesday that those claims were "inconsistent with the contents of the classified record."

Both unconstitutional and ineffective, an overreach of executive branch power.

Volimar · Sep 4, 2020

tripleg said:
I mean are you surprised? That's almost like saying the TSA was created to prevent airplane hijackings.

Pretty much the whole DHS fills the theater role.

McFly · Sep 4, 2020

This is pretty cool.

Mekanos · Sep 4, 2020

Whistleblowers are heroes. Bring him home.

Noodle · Sep 4, 2020

Volimar said:
Didn't they also find that the surveilance didn't prevent a single attack?

Not only that, but officials lied to the courts about it preventing attacks.

U.S. officials insisted that the four - Basaaly Saeed Moalin, Ahmed Nasir Taalil Mohamud, Mohamed Mohamud, and Issa Doreh - were convicted in 2013 thanks to the NSA's telephone record spying, but the Ninth Circuit ruled Wednesday that those claims were "inconsistent with the contents of the classified record."

This is definitely something that should follow the Obama admin to their graves.

BLEEN · Sep 4, 2020

He's a hero. Pardon him. He doesn't have to come back here but it's the right thing to do.

julian · Sep 4, 2020

danm999 · Sep 4, 2020

Deserves a pardon honestly, will probably go down as an American hero.

Dyle · Sep 4, 2020

Shocker, surprised it took this long.

Kelsdesu · Sep 4, 2020

Noodle said:
Not only that, but officials lied to the courts about it preventing attacks.

This is definitely something that should follow the Obama admin to their graves.

I wouldnt be surprised if President Dumbfuck pardons him and places it squarely on the Obama administration.

EvilChameleon · Sep 4, 2020

For the record, Trump has said he might pardon Snowden, but Trump talks so much nonsense that you never know when he's actually telling the truth.

Septimus Prime · Sep 4, 2020

I doubt they'll pardon him. That would signify that whistleblowing is okay, and I imagine they'll still want to punish him for airing their dirt the way he did.

onadesertedisland · Sep 4, 2020

I feel like this ruling will make the responsible parties more aggressive in trying to put him in prison forever.

Clefargle · Sep 4, 2020

ToddBonzalez said:
So pardon him then.

yeah here is an easy win for trump I don't know why any president wouldn't do it now

Sibylus · Sep 4, 2020

hateradio said:
Round of applause for the Bush administration.

And another round for the Obama administration.

KoopaTheCasual · Sep 4, 2020

So like...... pardon when?

Wasn't Trump flirting with the idea of pardoning Snowden, despite knowing nothing about him or the case? I guess he reconsidered when he learned of Snowden's recent politics.

U.S. court: Mass surveillance program exposed by Snowden was illegal

Deleted member 4346

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