PRISM debate rages on

By Global Times – AgenciesGlobal Times – Agencies Source:Global Times-Agencies Published: 2013-6-12 23:53:01

A debate about Internet privacy and the limits of US executive power erupted on Tuesday in a victory for Edward Snowden, an intelligence technician, at the center of a global leak storm.

While the 29-year-old technician has gone to ground in Hong Kong and may face severe legal consequences for blowing the lid on the vast Internet snooping program, he has triggered a public battle.

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers and civil liberties groups separately urged President Barack Obama's administration to lift the veil of secrecy.

Snowden's leaks revealed that PRISM, a secret program of the US National Security Agency (NSA), can gain access to private e-mails, online chats, pictures, files, videos and more, uploaded by foreign users.

Many were outraged by the operation, which obliged companies like Google, Facebook and Apple to secretly provide customer data. On Tuesday, Google asked the US Justice Department for permission to release figures on its surrender of data to surveillance programs to head off reports it has given the government a backdoor to its servers.

Separately, a coalition of over 80 Internet and rights groups called on Congress to launch a full investigation.

The American Civil Liberties Union launched a separate lawsuit alleging that another spy program unveiled by Snowden, one in which the phone records of millions of US citizens were seized, was unconstitutional.

US intelligence chiefs insist the sweep has saved American lives by helping thwart terror plots, and authorities have opened an investigation that could see Snowden extradited to face charges.

The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted lawyers as saying on Wednesday that Snowden is technically free to leave the city at any time, as he has not been charged by the US government nor is he the subject of an extradition request. "If Washington asks for his extradition, it will be decided in court, where Snowden could argue to stay."

But the debate is not one-sided. The USA Today summed up the Snowden question neatly in its front-page headline: "A hero, or is he a traitor?"

James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, described the leaks as gravely damaging. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, head of the Senate intelligence committee, branded the leak an "act of treason." White House spokesman Jay Carney refused to say whether Obama regarded Snowden as a traitor.

Snowden traveled from Hawaii to Hong Kong on May 20. He then explained his motives that he could not "allow the US government to destroy privacy, Internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building."

Global Times - Agencies



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