Russia's Version Of Facebook, VKontakte, Offers Ed Snowden A Job In Data Protection

Too Much Free Time

from the he's-qualified dept

Thu, Aug 1st 2013 3:49pm — Mike Masnick

Well this is marginally amusing. Now that Ed Snowden is actually in Russia, apparently a bunch of job offers are flowing in -- including from the somewhat controversial massive social network VKontatke, often called "Russia's Facebook," which is apparently hoping that Snowden might help with data protection, especially as the Russian government is looking to have more access and control over VKontatke (which many in the entertainment industry also insist is a major source for infringing content).

One place that had made an offer, [Snowden's lawyer Anatoly] Kucherena added, was VKontakte, Russia's Facebook rip-off, which also gives users access to a massive trove of pirated music, TV shows, and movies. Pavel Durov, VKontakte's founder, has been fighting off official pressure—prosecutorial summons, searches—in part because the internet wilds of VKontakte are one of the last bastions of freedom in Russia, and the opposition does a lot of its organizing through VKontakte, which is Russia's largest social network. In the last year or so, the government wanted to muscle in, and get a share of the company in order to exercise some control over it. So far, Durov has fought them off effectively, including today's court decision not to charge VKontakte under a new anti-piracy law. How's that for irony?

Who knows what will happen, but imagine Snowden helping to secure Russia's main social network from further government intrusion...

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Filed Under: data protection, ed snowden, russia, social media, social network, surveillance
Companies: vkontatke

23 Comments

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silverscarcat (profile), 1 Aug 2013 @ 3:09pm

I admit...
When I saw the article, I laughed at it.

It really is amusing to see this happen.
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 1 Aug 2013 @ 4:10pm

Really bad when you think about.
It's really bad when you think that a knockoff might be the place to protect the freedom of information. Forget the other things that are a side effect of freedom, like piracy.

I hope Snowden goes to work for them and then helps them protect info from the Russian Government.

So very sad that a place of freedom of information is now in the place of so much in terms of totalitarianism. And the US is falling behind that place.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 5:17pm

Since temporary visas are so secure...
I'm sure a bastion of fair minded reasonableness like the Russian government would never vindictively retaliate against a temporary visa holder who took a job aimed squarely at blocking their plans for VKontakte.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 5:49pm

This just makes me feel really bad for Bradly Manning who got completely abused by our injustice system for doing ... well, he didn't really do anything wrong.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 6:07pm

Re:
but I guess the Russians figure, if Manning got sentenced to jail for a very very long time (life or potentially life) for doing ... essentially nothing wrong, such punishment is disproportional and so protecting Snowden might be a good thing.

and before anyone comes in here claiming that Snowden should face prosecution here in America for doing what he thought was right if he thought it was the right thing think of all the political asylums that come to the United States for doing nothing wrong in Russia or whatever country (and even Putin commented that the United States never sends their political asylums back to Russia). Should those political asylums simply face prosecution in their corrupted and crooked legal system? Or should they seek political asylum elsewhere, like the United States. So why is it O.K. for the United States to accept political asylums instead of sending them back if them staying in their home country to face prosecution is the right thing? If them not staying in their home country is the right thing or if there is nothing wrong with them leaving their home country then why all of a sudden is it wrong for our political asylums to flee to other countries?

and even if you think what Manning did was wrong isn't his punishment disproportional? If so doesn't it scream of vindictiveness. If it's vindictive then it brings into question the merit of those prosecuting him and the merit of the prosecution in the first place. If they are willing to prosecute him simply to punish him for embarrassing the U.S. government then they don't need a good reason to prosecute him suggesting that maybe they have no good reason to convict him. (oh, he may have broken some bad laws but if that's the case then the law is in question).
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 6:11pm

Re: Re:
(Putin commented that the United States never sends their political asylums back to Russia so why should Russia send Snowden back to the United States. and Putin has a point).
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Guardian, 1 Aug 2013 @ 6:57pm

howto to get everyone on earth to be on the nsa 3 hop list
want to give the the nsa a serious smash headache lets all
make some chat servers and have everoyne visit each room all day week long and make htem all NON encrypted everyone just jump in and say "hello world" and leave....

EVERYONE every net user on earth that can...and we choose a nation that has no bans or bs that its govt can or will hump htem....

we get this organized and done in a week or so....and 2.7 billion people all being suveilled as the same as crimonals..

you cant be allwoed to say more and once you do a bot would bot would boot ya....

if the usa is gonna allow running it i say we give you all as much a fucking headache as we can...
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 7:00pm

Ed Snowden

+

Possibility of protection for Russian pirates

=

New tighty-whiteys for Mike Masnick
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JJJoseph (profile), 1 Aug 2013 @ 9:04pm

Manning:
" isn't his punishment disproportional?"

No, he was insubordinate. He's a grown man & will get what he deserves. It's a lesson for the others in the services. To let him go opens the door to anarchy in the armed forces. We don't need that.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 9:59pm

Good old' USSR, land of the free, home of the brave, I am old enough to remember when people used to say that about the USA, I know, its hard to believe but years ago America was perceived as the hope of the free world.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 10:51pm

Re: Manning:
Anarchy, you mean like collateral murder? To let that video go unseen by the public opens the door to anarchy in the armed forces. To let the government do whatever the heck it wants and get away with it with no public oversight opens the door to anarchy in the armed forces. You, once again, have no clue what the word anarchy means.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 10:56pm

Re: Re: Manning:
Seriously, does this JJJoseph know what the word anarchy is? He throws the word around like he has a clue. Does he actually defend the collateral murder video being concealed? Is this guy really defending the disproportional punishment Manning is receiving? What about all the governmental wrongdoings that have been exposed? Is he defending their concealment? The fact that the Iraq war mostly resulted in civilian deaths? Is this guy really defending the argument that this should be concealed? If so he is saying that the armed forces and the government should be able to get away with anything they want with no public oversight. Bradly Manning should face life in prison for doing nothing wrong but that collateral murder video should stay concealed so that those responsible receive no punishment whatsoever. and what will be their punishments for murder? You defend this? Are you an NSA shill? Do you even have a conscience?
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2013 @ 3:09am

Re: Manning:
Because, you know, blindly following orders never lead to any trouble at all, anywhere.
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Ninja (profile), 2 Aug 2013 @ 3:53am

Re: I admit...
The irony would be mindboggling. If I were Snowden I'd go for it for some serious face slap and lulz!
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2013 @ 4:00am

Yes, Vkontakte is a Facebook ripoff...
...right down to copying their massive spamming techniques. Hopefully Snowden will have the integrity not to go to work for disgusting spammer filth like Pavel Durov.
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Ninja (profile), 2 Aug 2013 @ 4:07am

Sure this may be vested with interests but it's slightly amusing, slightly depressing and a whole lot of ironic that Russia is protecting a whistleblower from the US...
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quawonk, 2 Aug 2013 @ 4:45am

I hope Snowden has the integrity to decline a job working with Russia to restrict and control the Internet.
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JJJoseph (profile), 2 Aug 2013 @ 12:08pm

Re: Re: Re: Manning:
Yes, I'm defending this. Damn right. The sociopathic arguments presented here against the NSA are self-centered and self-serving. The government is us, and so is the NSA. We're doing what we need to do to protect our friends and neighbors. If that means connecting the dots between your friends and phone calls to Yemen, then that's what we need to do. My heart bleeds for all your Iraqi buddies hurt while trying to blow each other to smithereens, but my heart bleeds more for my neighbors who now have to submit to Sharia law in America.
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JJJoseph (profile), 2 Aug 2013 @ 12:14pm

hope of the free world?
America still is the hope of the free world, at least the last time I checked the lineups of people trying to get here. In case you didn't know, the rest of the world is nowhere near as blessed as we are. They shake their heads and ask,"Why do some Americans defend terrorists and anarchists like Snowden and his ilk?" The answer is that there will always be sociopathic losers like Snowden, and we can't give up trying to rein them in.
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Mike Masnick (profile), 2 Aug 2013 @ 12:15pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Manning:
Yes, I'm defending this. Damn right. The sociopathic arguments presented here against the NSA are self-centered and self-serving. The government is us, and so is the NSA. We're doing what we need to do to protect our friends and neighbors. If that means connecting the dots between your friends and phone calls to Yemen, then that's what we need to do. My heart bleeds for all your Iraqi buddies hurt while trying to blow each other to smithereens, but my heart bleeds more for my neighbors who now have to submit to Sharia law in America.

Let me get this straight. Your argument is that we have to give up our civil liberties and our privacy so that we don't have to "submit to Sharia law in America"?

You're funny.
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JJJoseph (profile), 2 Aug 2013 @ 12:19pm

Integrity?
Do you honestly think that Snowden has any "integrity" about anything? That he can go self-righteously bananas over freedom of information on the one hand, only to find himself working for "the wrong side"? The boy has a lot of learning to do!
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Anonymous, 4 Aug 2013 @ 2:06pm

Ed Snowden is the new Kevin Mitnick.
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Kermit Frazier, 5 Aug 2013 @ 6:56am

vKontacte
Seriously, Snowden is not some kind of Super-Hacker - He barely knows what he is doing, Security-Wise

The ONLY Coup he pulled off was in getting those Docs out the Door of a Slack-Jawed Civilian OutSource
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