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Brazilian Senators Don 'Snowden' Masks To Protest NSA Surveillance

from the good-for-them dept

Tue, Aug 6th 2013 9:14pm — Mike Masnick

During the fight over ACTA in Europe, you may remember that a key turning point was when Polish politicians donned Guy Fawkes "Anonymous" masks to show their disapproval of ACTA and its non-transparent process. We may have just had a similar moment down in Brazil. Glenn Greenwald, who testified before the Brazilian Senate concerning NSA surveillance, noted that a bunch of activists showed up at the Senate with Ed Snowden masks and some Senators borrowed the masks and wore them during the hearings. There don't appear to be any pictures of this yet (see update below), but there are some photos of the activists with the mask (thumbnail snippet below, click for the full version):

It still seems like defenders of this program don't realize just how big an impact the revelations are having around the globe. Ratcheting up the silly rhetoric around Snowden hasn't helped matters, other than turning Snowden into much more of a cult hero around the globe (including for many inside the US). The more the US makes a big deal about Snowden and where he's living, the more desperate and arbitrary the US government looks. Politicians in key countries not just supporting Snowden but wearing masks with his face on it shows just how badly the US government is losing the battle for public perception on this issue.

Update: a commenter points out a video clip from Brazil that briefly shows a Senator, Eduardo Suplicy, holding up the mask:

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Filed Under: brazil, ed snowden, masks, nsa, nsa surveillance

17 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 6 Aug 2013 @ 9:29pm

I agree, good for them. Over half of Congress seems content to ignore the American people and trample on the Constitution, but trying to ignore the entire world just makes things that much harder for them.

Glad to see the Brazilian Senate isn't on the NSA's payroll too. Wish I could say the same for the American House and Senate...
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- Anonymous Coward, 7 Aug 2013 @ 9:26am
  
  Re:
  They are not on the payroll of the NSA, that bit is true. The only payroll they belong to is their own, because the ENTIRE senate (and every other politician for that matter) is as corrupted as shit.
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Dan, 6 Aug 2013 @ 11:43pm

I like that mask! Where can I get or download it?
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- Jenny Tall, 8 Aug 2013 @ 7:44am
  
  Re:
  Here http://i.imgur.com/wAPt827.png
  You have to cut the body out though
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Brazilian Guy, 7 Aug 2013 @ 1:29am

I managed to confirm just that Eduardo Suplicy, Senator by the S�o Paulo State, used the mask. Link http://mais.uol.com.br/view/1575mnadmj5c/suplicy-usa-mascara-de-snowden-durante-audiencia-no-senado- 04024C1C3662C8B14326?types=V,F,S,P,T&
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Aug 2013 @ 2:29am

Greenwald is already despised in the USA for having the audacity and the balls to print the 'Snowden Papers'. i am waiting for him to be arrested by NSA or other 'security force that are protecting the people' and disappear off the planet.
however, the Snowden masks are a good indicator of feeling in other countries. they and the 'Anonymous' masks need to be held on to in readiness for the protests that come over the latest TPP 'negotiations' where the USA is trying to stitch up every other country it possibly can so as to have a greater advantage especially over things that could greatly benefit US companies whilst screwing over all others!
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Ninja (profile), 7 Aug 2013 @ 3:58am

While Brazil has it's free speech problems it's not nearly as bad as in the US (our Govt was a target of several leaks in Wikileaks and yet nobody considers Assange to be a criminal or something here). I guess a recent past of totalitarianism has helped keeping censorship at bay. The recent protests also did have the very beneficial effect of making the politicians more aware of what's circulating in the social channels.
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- Anonymous Coward, 7 Aug 2013 @ 9:33am
  
  Re:
  The politicians here didn't care because the population in general doesn't give a shit about it. As long as the general population have soccer/football/whathever you wanna call/ and some beer, nothing needs to be done.
  
  In other words, politicians didn't do anything with the wikileaks info because they didn't needed to care about it.
  
  At every day, we see news of politicians robbing money in front of everyone and nothing is done about it.
  Hell, i've seen someone who confessed a RAPE OF A 10 YEARS OLD being released because it was election day and did i mentioned the kid also identified the guy? Or that other time when a piece of shit that hit his wife everyday wasn't arrested because the police was on strike (weren't working... dunno if "strike" is the correct word for "not working because i am not paid as much as i'd like to")
  
  Trust me, Brazil deserves no praise. Specially that scumbag Eduardo.
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  - Ninja (profile), 7 Aug 2013 @ 9:52am
    
    Re: Re:
    As I said there are issues. However we must not let the problems and the wrongs cloud the rights and the things that are working.
    
    weren't working... dunno if "strike" is the correct word for "not working because i am not paid as much as i'd like to"
    
    Police is severely underpaid in Brazil much like several other important professions. It's a common misconception that public servants earn tons of money just because they are working for the Govt. The reality is that a select elite heaps the rewards nowadays.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 7 Aug 2013 @ 10:09am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      "As i said, there are issues"
      
      Let me correct this, there are a LOT of issues.
      And even so, Brazil's government deserves NO PRAISE AT ALL.
      
      If anything, i'd say those scumbags are only concerned with the NSA because it might leak even more troublesome information about them.
      
      And let me add, NOTHING IN BRAZIL WORKS AS IT SHOULD. NOTHING WORKS.
      
      And while i agree that most (and by most i mean nearly everyone) government employees are VERY underpaid (A reflex of the entire corruption of every politic sector), there should be common sense in situations like the one i described... Seriously, not throwing scum like that in jail, letting him out the front door yelling "yupi!!!!! i am free and no one can arrest me! Now it is time to settle with the bitch..." is insulting to say the least.
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      - Ninja (profile), 7 Aug 2013 @ 10:30am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        If anything, i'd say those scumbags are only concerned with the NSA because it might leak even more troublesome information about them.
        
        Possibly but what a leak on NSA practices would have to do with Brazilian politicians? I haven't seen any connection at all. It may be just political grandstanding though.
        
        And let me add, NOTHING IN BRAZIL WORKS AS IT SHOULD. NOTHING WORKS.
        
        There are parts that work albeit even some of those that are working spawned out of political interests. As an example you can see the generic drugs Jos� Serra championed. He owns Eurofarma if memory serves. Don't become a cynic, remain skeptical. Ironically tax collection works perfectly for all intents and purposes ;)
        
        As for the guys running free on elections day it's not the police at fault at all. They are bound by bad laws that allow such absurds.
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John, 7 Aug 2013 @ 4:25am

Yeah, right!
I do not in any way support NSA snooping.
However, one of the most disturbing aspects of hoovering up everyone's information is no so much that it can be used to find criminals but that the information can be used in the future to blackmail people.
Now, given that the Brazilian government is extremely corrupt, clearly those same government officials will be protesting because the NSA has evidence of their crimes, misdemeanors and peccadilloes. This information can then be used to bring pressure to bear and influence voting.
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- Anonymous Coward, 7 Aug 2013 @ 4:33am
  
  Re: Yeah, right!
  Geneva Convention, Act of War, etc.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Aug 2013 @ 7:16am

Why can't our senators be more like their senators? :(
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- Anonymous Coward, 7 Aug 2013 @ 9:35am
  
  Re:
  If you are an american saying you'd like senators like the brazilian ones, trust me, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE ASKING.
  
  They are ALL the worst kind of scumbag you can imagine.
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kP (profile), 7 Aug 2013 @ 9:06am

Brazillian?
I'd have expected the beards to be much narrower.
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- JJJoseph (profile), 7 Aug 2013 @ 12:32pm
  
  Re: Brazillian?
  Like in a "Brazilian" wax-job beard, or like in a Muslim fundamentalist beard?
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