Night Of First Ed Snowden Story, Streets In Front Of Guardian's NY Office & Home Of Its US Editor Suddenly Dug Up

from the hmm... dept

Mon, Feb 3rd 2014 7:40am — Mike Masnick

The Guardian is running a fascinating excerpt from Luke Harding's upcoming book, entitled The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man. The excerpt is entitled How Edward Snowden went from loyal NSA contractor to whistleblower, but that's not entirely accurate. Most of that story has already been told, and what's repeated of Snowden's thought process isn't particularly new or enlightening. What is much more interesting are some of the details in the immediate run up and aftermath to the Guardian publishing that first story on a Wednesday evening. First, there's the way the US government tried to pressure the Guardian not to run the story:

Events were moving at speed. MacAskill had tapped out a four-word text from Hong Kong: "The Guinness is good." This code phrase meant he was now convinced Snowden was genuine. Gibson decided to give the NSA a four-hour window to comment, so the agency had an opportunity to disavow the story. By British standards, the deadline was fair: long enough to make a few calls, agree a line. But for Washington, where journalist-administration relations sometimes resemble a country club, this was nothing short of outrageous. In London, the Guardian's editor-in-chief, Alan Rusbridger, headed for the airport for the next available New York flight.

The White House sent in its top guns for a conference call with the Guardian. The team included FBI deputy director Sean M Joyce, a Boston native with an action-man resume – investigator against Colombian narcotics, counter-terrorism officer, legal attache in Prague. Also patched in was Chris Inglis, the NSA's deputy director. He was a man who interacted with journalists so rarely, he was considered by many to be a mythical entity. Then there was Robert S Litt, the general counsel to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Litt was clever, likable, voluble, dramatic, lawyerly and prone to rhetorical flourishes. On the Guardian side were Gibson and Millar, sitting in Gibson's small office, with its cheap sofa and unimpressive view of Broadway.

By fielding heavyweights, the White House had perhaps reckoned it could flatter, and if necessary bully, the Guardian into delaying publication. Gibson explained that the editor-in-chief – in the air halfway across the Atlantic – was unavailable. She said: "I'm the final decision-maker." After 20 minutes, the White House was frustrated. The conversation was going in circles. Finally, one of the team could take no more. Losing his temper, he shouted, "You don't need to publish this! No serious news organisation would publish this!" Gibson replied, "With the greatest respect, we will take the decisions about what we publish."

"Gibson" is Janine Gibson, the Guardian US's editor. But the really scary part of the story is what came next, which, as far as I know, hadn't been reported anywhere else until now:

That evening, diggers arrived and tore up the sidewalk immediately in front of the Guardian's US office, a mysterious activity for a Wednesday night. With smooth efficiency, they replaced it. More diggers arrived outside Gibson's home in Brooklyn. Soon, every member of the Snowden team was able to recount similar unusual moments: "taxi drivers" who didn't know the way or the fare; "window cleaners" who lingered next to the editor's office. "Very quickly, we had to get better at spycraft," Gibson says.

Some of those may be coincidences. When you think the world is out to get you, plenty of ordinary activity may look extra suspicious. Of course, on the flip side, as the saying goes: just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. The story of having diggers tearing up the sidewalk that night, both in front of the Guardian's office and in front of Gibson's home, are the ones that seem extra suspicious and extra troubling. Remember, this came right about the same time that the DOJ was getting shellacked for targeting journalists, and was in the middle of promising that it wasn't going to do that any more. But, what are promises when you have an angry surveillance state coming down on you, knowing that a bunch of their most stupid programs were about to be exposed?

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Filed Under: chris inglis, ed snowden, janine gibson, journalism, nsa, robert litt, sean joyce, surveillance

56 Comments

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DannyB (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 8:08am

Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
Plant a bug? What kind? How would it work?

Tap phone / internet connections? Couldn't this be done elsewhere?

Add a kill switch on electrical or other utility service?

Plant a bomb?

Break in through some non-obvious entrance? Or do something to enable future such break in's to office?
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 8:16am

Photo?
In hindsight, the easiest way to check would have been to try to take a picture of the diggers.

If they start screaming about how its a violation of their rights or that your interfering with their duties, then they must be law enforcement of some kind.

No one else would care.
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That One Guy (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 8:19am

Re: Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
Along with the other stuff mentioned, assuming it was intentional, it was probably a not-so-subtle way of saying 'See, we can make your lives as miserable as we want, any time we want, if you cross us, so don't.'
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AdamR (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 8:20am

How about just for the effect?

The effect can more terrorizing than anything that they were planing on doing.
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dfed (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 8:24am

"If we give them potholes, they'll have to get new suspension and maybe pop tires!"

I'd say it's sinister stuff, but given the assclowns we're talking about I wouldn't be surprised if potholes were the aim.
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Baldaur Regis (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 8:25am

That evening, diggers arrived and tore up the sidewalk immediately in front of the Guardian's US office, a mysterious activity for a Wednesday night.
Couldn't the government have found a cheaper, less labor-intensive way to intimidate, like just knocking on the door? For make no mistake, this was a black op, as evinced by the next line:
With smooth efficiency, they replaced it.
Were this a legitimate job, the sidewalk would have been a mess for at least 'two weeks', a flexible length of time in contractor-speak which means 'when the money runs out'.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 8:25am

The tails system?
Oh where is this found?
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jupiterkansas (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 8:27am

Re: Re: Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
More like old fashioned watching to see who comes and goes. Not all communication is done with technology.
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Geno0wl (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 8:29am

I would need some serious proof of that. I find that completely unbelievable. Not from the "they would do that" perspective, but from the "they are competent enough to ACTUALLY do that" perspective.
I mean our government is rather inept at handling construction contracts. You are telling me they formed a contract, hired a crew, and got materials/people all on site within 24 hours?
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Namel3ss (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 8:31am

Remember what FDR said...
In politics there are no coincidences. If something happened, you can bet it was planned that way.

This level of happenstance? No way.
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out_of_the_blue, 3 Feb 2014 @ 8:34am

Neither Snowden nor this "story", months late, is THE STORY.
Complete distraction. Standard propaganda, ginning up "men in black", NSA as all-knowing with secret army mobilized instantly, while diverting from facts. And of course Mike puts it out.

Meanwhile, NSA and the co-conspirator corporations (especially Google) go right on spying and increasing their spying.

Exposed: Google�s �Smart Home� Surveillance Plans

http://www.activistpost.com/2014/02/exposed-googles-smart-home-surveillance.html
Edward Snowden: Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo, Apple, and the rest of our internet titans must ask themselves why they aren't fighting for our interests the same way -- Ed, those soul-less amoral entities care only about the billions they get BEING snoops! (65 of 195)

04:33:36[f-090-0]
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 8:41am

Probably explosives were dumped there.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 8:49am

Physical surveillance or reconnaissance which ever term suits them. It's to be expected. coincidence maybe but given the circumstances It's hardly unbelievable.

My additional ponderings are about the book and Snowden himself, will receive a portion of the sales/profits for his defense.
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Humble Fumble (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 9:01am

Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
Tempest?
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ArkieGuy (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 9:04am

Maybe not
No one said they hired a crew.... The US has Corps of Engineer guys pretty much everywhere (with equipment, supplies, etc) that are very skilled. Match a few of them with a couple of spy types, and I can absolutely see the events described being executed.

With that said, I'm with you on the still needing proof, but it's certainly possible.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 9:08am

They were digging up a hill to die on, clearly.

Only problem is, that it was a mountain of stupid.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 9:08am

Re:
The Federal Government has such crews on stand-by.

Since this is military they are called Core of Engineers or Seabees.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 9:12am

Re:
Wow.. If only real contractors worked that fast.

Finally, something the FBI/CIA/NSA/ICE actually does a good job with.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 9:23am

Re: Neither Snowden nor this "story", months late, is THE STORY.
EXPOSED: Google bought a company!
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any moose cow word, 3 Feb 2014 @ 9:28am

"You don't need to publish this! No [beholden] news organization would publish this!"

FTFY
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Joe2, 3 Feb 2014 @ 9:33am

Re:
The CIA ain't the mafia. They're not union men. Well not a _labor_ union. ;) If you want it done fast, there are people who aren't going to drag it out just for padding hours and expenses. Although, to be fair, they were probably not CIA.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 9:43am

Start a fund-raiser to re-dig those locations.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 10:05am

Re:
Couldn't the government have found a cheaper, less labor-intensive way...

This is the government you're talking about here....
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william (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 10:15am

[quote]The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man[\quote]

I have a problem with the title of the book. It has the simple mistake that most US people make, ie. USA =\= World.

A more appropriate title would be:

The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of Ministry of Love's Most Wanted Man
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edpo, 3 Feb 2014 @ 10:19am

Re: The tails system?
https://tails.boum.org/doc/first_steps/index.en.html
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 10:24am

"With the greatest respect, we will take the decisions about what we publish."

I love this response. It's the perfectly polite "Fuck you." The only thing I would have added if I were her was to remind them that they were on the Guardian's turf not the NSA's and that they were only invited there and told about it before it went to press as a matter of courtesy to allow them time to formulate a response. That courtesy did not HAVE to have been extended and doesn't have to be in the future.
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Sunhawk (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 10:33am

Re: Neither Snowden nor this "story", months late, is THE STORY.
"A distraction," comes the blue bugle
At a story that's naught but frugal.
He cares not for scandals,
Or NSA handles
And everything's the fault of Google.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 10:34am

Re:
I think the title is specifically referring to during the time period right after the story broke and his name was released. And by "wanted" the author is not just referring to the fact that the US "wanted" to capture him but also journalists all over the world that "wanted" to find him and interview him but didn't know exactly where he was and even when he was at the time. Even when he was in the airport in Russia but no one could get a picture of him and he didn't speak to many at all. Journalists even followed a plane to Cuba based on a rumor that he was on it only to find an empty seat when it arrived. He WAS the "World's Most Wanted Man" during that period of time clearly but "wanted" by many different people for many different reasons.
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Sunhawk (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 10:38am

Re:
To be honest, something like that is more likely to be an excuse to have some people hang around outside the locations in hopes of seeing Snowden or someone else of interest coming.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 10:39am

Anyone willing to do a public service and do some backwards engineering
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 10:44am

Finally! Those shovel-ready jobs that President Obama promised!
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Baron von Robber, 3 Feb 2014 @ 10:59am

I would dig up...
...the area right next to where they dug up to see what lines they messed with. On my property of course.
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art guerrilla (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 11:58am

Re: Re: Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
exactly...
could *possibly* have some 'real' practical reason to plant bugs/whatever; BUT, far more likely that it is just muscle-flexing to show those mere citizens that they didn't know who they were messing with: THE biggest, baddest ORGANIZED krime syndicate in the world, the USG ! !!
fuckers...

i REALLY don't get it: are they TRYING to get us to the point where we hang them all ? because i'm having trouble seeing what the end game is, otherwise...
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Baldaur Regis (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 12:06pm

Re:
When the French swear at you, it's poetry; when the British swear at you, it's education.
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william (profile), 3 Feb 2014 @ 12:15pm

Re: Re:
I see, that makes much more sense. thanks for the clarification. :)
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 12:19pm

Re: Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
Best place to gather intelligence is closest to the source.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 12:39pm

Re:
Geno0wl (profile), Feb 3rd, 2014 @ 8:29am

I would need some serious proof of that. I find that completely unbelievable. Not from the "they would do that" perspective, but from the "they are competent enough to ACTUALLY do that" perspective.
I mean our government is rather inept at handling construction contracts. You are telling me they formed a contract, hired a crew, and got materials/people all on site within 24 hours?

Follow the money... always do this... you will find that once the Management steps the freak back and just writes a check leaving the technical details to the pros then stuff gets done done done in ways you would not believe.

The machine is well oiled to work against you... just not well oiled to work for you.

I work in IT, management is the beginning, middle, & end of every problem. Mixed in behind that are the full of themselves pro's talked at by people that don't know what they want.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 1:02pm

Re: Maybe not
"The US has Corps of Engineer guys..."

Hell, let's not bring those guys into it - I mean, they *really* bungled that 245-Trioxin containment issue.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 1:03pm

Re: Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
i'd assume to tap telecommmunications lines.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 1:14pm

Re: Re: Neither Snowden nor this "story", months late, is THE STORY.
"EXPOSED: Google bought a company!"

And used it to exploit the masses in every conceivable manner.
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[name withheld], 3 Feb 2014 @ 5:10pm

BS to promote the book.

I am sure Snoweden put everybody remotely associated with him on a priority list at all alphabet suop agences, but this is not how they operate, according to open records.

BTW, repair of public sidewalks in Brooklyn is responsibility of property owner next to it. Nice shot.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 5:11pm

omg wtf 2 sidewalks
Anomaly hunting. Conspiracy Theories 101.

These "side" detail isn't evidence of secret US Gov surveillance.

cf, Snowden for the evidence of secret US Gov surveillance.

Sidewalk works is sidewalk works. Unless you found a paper trail?

Don't blame Luke Harding for painting pretty pictures with his words, even non-fiction writers must do this; for a book isn't much of a good book if it doesn't enjoy any readership.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 7:25pm

LOL
"If you publish this information we'll, we'll, DIG UP YOUR SIDEWALK,, and I don't know... REPLACE IT !!!.

Then you'll know we mean business."
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2014 @ 9:05pm

Response to: Geno0wl on Feb 3rd, 2014 @ 8:29am
turnkey tyranny
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btrussell (profile), 4 Feb 2014 @ 12:38am

Re: Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
Tax dollars hard at work.
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Ninja (profile), 4 Feb 2014 @ 2:25am

Re: Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
Tap phone / internet connections? Couldn't this be done elsewhere?

Add a kill switch on electrical or other utility service?

Something along those lines maybe. I'd bet a lot of coins on a direct tap into the cables going to the house but I wouldn't rule out the kill switch. I wouldn't be surprised if they had stingrays permanently installed near the places.

Full scale surveillance ;)
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Feb 2014 @ 3:06am

I wonder how many microphones and pressure sensors they installed under the new sidewalk...
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ListeninonU (profile), 4 Feb 2014 @ 11:57am

Data Access
http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/07/12/0259246/stealing-data-via-electrical-outlet

This link should enlighten you to how information can easily be achieved via electrical power sources.
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ListeninonU, 4 Feb 2014 @ 12:01pm

Electrical outlets can be used as a collection source
Every computer emits electronic impulses. They can be recorded, measured and broken down to identify exactly what you are doing on your computer and anything else using electrical power.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Feb 2014 @ 1:57pm

" "Very quickly, we had to get better at spycraft," Gibson says. "

QUICK, lets watch every episode of "Get Smart".. !!!

oh, a lazy window washer !!!

An American taxi driver who does not go the shortest way !!!! or does not "know" the correct fair !! (for a tourist!).

and doing council road/pave works at NIGHT ! on a week day! (in a city!)..
why would they do that AT NIGHT, and not at the very busiest time possible ?
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Feb 2014 @ 2:04pm

Re: Electrical outlets can be used as a collection source
"Every computer emits electronic impulses. They can be recorded, measured and broken down to identify exactly what you are doing on your computer and anything else using electrical power."

actually no, not every computer emits 'impulses' it is easy to secure a computer from tempest hazards with shielding.

No, you cannot identify exactly what you are doing, at best you might be able to get a fuzzy picture of your monitor (from the radiation from the cables), but little else, and even less now with digital monitors, that makes it almost impossible, with RBG monitors its slightly easier.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Feb 2014 @ 2:06pm

Perhaps the scurvy dogs were looking for the Bill of Rights and Constitution they buried nearly 15 years ago.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Feb 2014 @ 2:07pm

Re:
OMG!!!!
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Feb 2014 @ 2:09pm

Re: Re:
I can list a lot of Countries that would not agree with that title.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Feb 2014 @ 2:52pm

Re: Data Access
I remember during the days where most of the world, unlike lucky Canada (then) had cheap symmetric cable modem service starting 1998. You had to buy the modem which was very expensive, around 500 dollars, but then it was 24,95 a month for 8/8. Anyways, I remember how research was done then to have the internet go through regular electrical plugs and that it would be 5-6 times faster than ISDN...

So I guess it could be done.
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GEMont (profile), 7 Feb 2014 @ 12:50pm

USMOB
The more we learn about the US Federal Government's clandestine operations, the more it resembles something else that is very familiar - the MAFIA.
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