Spies In Denial: GCHQ Boss Says Snowden Didn't Kick Off Debate Over Surveillance
from the you-look-foolish dept
For all the idiotic things said about Ed Snowden, at least US bureaucrats appear to have come around to the idea that he helped kick off a necessary debate on surveillance powers and privacy. Just recently we had former Attorney General Eric Holder admit that Snowden "performed a public service by raising the debate." And regular surveillance apologist and former Defense Department lawyer Jack Goldsmith just said that "Snowden forced the intelligence community out of its suboptimal and unsustainable obsession with secrecy."It appears that some of their counterparts in the UK are still in denial about all of this. GCHQ's boss Robert Hannigan, whose currently on a PR charm offensive (or should that be just offensive PR?) insists that Snowden has nothing to do with the ongoing debate, which he says was happening prior to Snowden leaking documents:
No, Edward Snowden had not sparked a global debate about privacy - that had been under way already - but terrorist targets GCHQ had been tracking had learned from his revelations with heavens knows what consequences, he said.This is delusional, and calls into question whether or not the GCHQ has management that lives in reality or in a fantasy land. As someone who has followed this issue since well before the Snowden leaks, to argue that the debate was happening in any real way prior to them being splashed across the press is a flat out lie. You can disagree with what Snowden did -- as Hannigan clearly does. But to argue that the revelations did not spark the debate is clearly wrong.
As for the latter part of Hannigan's claim, that terrorists learned stuff from the Snowden documents that created "heaven knows what consequences," that's a load of bunk also. Actual studies showed basically no change in behavior by terrorists post-Snowden, as many already assumed that their basic communications were being tracked. And no one has yet to demonstrate any legitimate consequences from his revelations other than forcing people like Hannigan to have to answer questions about why the GCHQ and NSA seem to be spying on tons of people.
If this new PR campaign is about rebuilding trust in the GCHQ, Hannigan might want to recognize that spewing pure bullshit doesn't make people trust him more. It makes them trust him a lot less.
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Filed Under: debate, ed snowden, gchq, robert hannigan, surveillance
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In addition to denying reality, Hanningan's not so hot with the idioms, either, pluralizing "heaven". Unless GCHQ's extensive surveillance extends into the otherworldly, and they've documented a plurality of heavens.
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Maybe he would have gotten it right if he's stuck to a metaphor from his own side of the aisle ("...with the devil knows what consequences...")
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The bible actually mentions multiple heavens…
four centuries you can expect common phrases and wording
to reflect that influence.
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Qualified for his job.
Well, they are tasked with staying one step ahead of terrorists.
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Heaven knows
I suspect he will vary his answer if asked for clarification depending on who is asking and whether the answer will be documented.
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Close, but...
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Of course there was already a debate
Everyone pretty much assumed they were doing terrible and nefarious things, but it wasn't until Snowden proved it that shit really hit the fan.
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True transparency
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Problem is while the public thought it was likely the GCHQ and the NSA were doing these things, they were hidden behind secrecy and no one had any proof beyond speculation. Once the Snowden documents started surfacing, it was no longer guess work but there was the proof.
Sure none of the spy agencies want to own up to Snowden making a difference but recall that the GCHQ was so concerned about the data they showed up and demanded the hard drives containing the Snowden documents be destroyed. Even though they knew it would not get rid of them.
The Snoopers Charter would not even have been considered had the activities of the GCHQ continued to have been hid. Politicians rushing to give the agency what it wants, despite the outcries of it's citizens is another sure sign of what the Snowden documents did in exposure. They now have to make it legal or end certain practices.
So while they may deny the discussion taking place and having real life effects, they can't deny the scrambling to make it all legal after the fact.
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"with heavens knows what consequences"
Seems the head of a spy agency SHOULD know what consequences if any had occurred no? Seems a little irresponsible to let it lie in heavens hands no? Pure bullshit. Plain and simple. I know it... you know it... and he even knows it.
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The Big Lie
"The essential English leadership secret does not depend on particular intelligence. Rather, it depends on a remarkably stupid thick-headedness. The English follow the principle that when one lies, one should lie big, and stick to it. They keep up their lies, even at the risk of looking ridiculous."
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"terrorist targets GCHQ had been tracking had learned from his revelations with heavens knows what consequences, he said."
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Not just heavens, everybody knows the answer: there have been no terror attacks in the UK since the documents since the public was informed about some of GCHQ's more questionable activities.
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prediction
Terror attack within the next months
attackers will be known to Gov agencies
attackers will have had contact with Gov agencies
attack will happen during a training exercise and do exactly what the exercise was about.
60+% of past attacks matched those parameters.
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