HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019573.jpg
1.59 MB
Extraction Summary
9
People
6
Organizations
4
Locations
3
Events
3
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book page / manuscript proof
File Size:
1.59 MB
Summary
This document is page 85 of a book (likely by Edward Jay Epstein, titled 'How America Lost Its Secrets') discussing the background of the Edward Snowden NSA leaks. It details how journalist Laura Poitras utilized technical expert Jacob Appelbaum to vet Snowden's technical bona fides via encrypted emails prior to the Hong Kong meetings. It also describes the editorial tensions at The Guardian, specifically Glenn Greenwald waiting for authorization from editor Janine Gibson to travel to Hong Kong.
People (9)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Snowden | Subject / Whistleblower |
Former NSA contractor who leaked classified documents; communicated with journalists and technical experts.
|
| Laura Poitras | Journalist / Filmmaker |
Involved in the news event; asked Appelbaum to help interview Snowden to test his bona fides.
|
| Barton Gellman | Journalist |
Mentioned as one of the journalists involved in the news event.
|
| Jacob Appelbaum | Technical Expert / Tor Developer |
Asked by Poitras to vet Snowden; had prior contact with Snowden; core developer of Tor software.
|
| Runa Sandvik | Tor Developer |
Met Snowden in Hawaii in Dec 2012; worked with Appelbaum.
|
| Glenn Greenwald | Journalist |
Met Snowden in Hong Kong; was waiting for approval from Janine Gibson to travel.
|
| Janine Gibson | Editor |
Editor of the Guardian website based in New York; held decision power on Greenwald's travel.
|
| Michael Wolff | Columnist |
Guardian columnist who commented on the paper's shift to publishing government secrets.
|
| Bradley Manning | Whistleblower |
Source of previous documents supplied via WikiLeaks.
|
Organizations (6)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| NSA |
National Security Agency; target of the leaks and surveillance questions.
|
|
| Citizen Four |
Alias/Project name associated with Snowden.
|
|
| Tor |
Software project developed by Appelbaum and Sandvik.
|
|
| Der Spiegel |
German weekly publication that published the interview with Snowden.
|
|
| WikiLeaks |
Organization that published documents supplied by Bradley Manning.
|
|
| The Guardian |
Newspaper involved in publishing the leaks; employed Greenwald, Gibson, and Wolff.
|
Timeline (3 events)
2012
July 8, 2013
Relationships (3)
Poitras asked Appelbaum to help interview Snowden; Appelbaum participated in her presentations.
Worked together as core developers of Tor software.
Greenwald was awaiting a green light to go there from Janine Gibson.
Key Quotes (4)
"What are some of the big surveillance programs that are active today and how do international partners aid the NSA?"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019573.jpg
Quote #1
"Does the NSA partner with other nations, like Israel?"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019573.jpg
Quote #2
"Do private companies help the NSA?"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019573.jpg
Quote #3
"gone into the business of publishing government secrets"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019573.jpg
Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,286 characters)
Escape Artist | 85
focus on him as the sole perpetrator of the leak so that no one else at
the NSA would be suspected.
the NSA would be suspected.
Poitras and Gellman were not the only journalists involved in
the news event. Poitras also asked Appelbaum to help her interview
Snowden about the NSA’s operations. She later said that she needed
someone with technical expertise in government surveillance to test
the bona fides of Citizen Four. She believed that Appelbaum, who
had participated in her anti-NSA presentations in 2012, qualified for
the position.
the news event. Poitras also asked Appelbaum to help her interview
Snowden about the NSA’s operations. She later said that she needed
someone with technical expertise in government surveillance to test
the bona fides of Citizen Four. She believed that Appelbaum, who
had participated in her anti-NSA presentations in 2012, qualified for
the position.
Snowden previously had contact with Appelbaum. Appelbaum
had communicated with Snowden under his Oahu CryptoParty alias
about an obscure piece of software just a few weeks after Snowden
had met with Runa Sandvik in Hawaii in December 2012. Appel-
baum, in fact, had worked with Sandvik as a core developer of Tor
software. Snowden allowed Appelbaum to put detailed questions to
him concerning the secret operations of the NSA before he met with
Poitras and Greenwald in Hong Kong. Indeed, Poitras joined him
in asking Snowden via encrypted e-mails such questions as “What
are some of the big surveillance programs that are active today
and how do international partners aid the NSA?” “Does the NSA
partner with other nations, like Israel?” and “Do private companies
help the NSA?” Snowden answered all the questions to the satis-
faction of Appelbaum and Poitras. (The interview was published on
July 8, 2013, with Snowden’s approval on the website of Der Spie-
gel, the German weekly, which had also published the WikiLeaks
documents.)
had communicated with Snowden under his Oahu CryptoParty alias
about an obscure piece of software just a few weeks after Snowden
had met with Runa Sandvik in Hawaii in December 2012. Appel-
baum, in fact, had worked with Sandvik as a core developer of Tor
software. Snowden allowed Appelbaum to put detailed questions to
him concerning the secret operations of the NSA before he met with
Poitras and Greenwald in Hong Kong. Indeed, Poitras joined him
in asking Snowden via encrypted e-mails such questions as “What
are some of the big surveillance programs that are active today
and how do international partners aid the NSA?” “Does the NSA
partner with other nations, like Israel?” and “Do private companies
help the NSA?” Snowden answered all the questions to the satis-
faction of Appelbaum and Poitras. (The interview was published on
July 8, 2013, with Snowden’s approval on the website of Der Spie-
gel, the German weekly, which had also published the WikiLeaks
documents.)
As the days ticked away while Snowden was waiting for Green-
wald in Hong Kong, Greenwald was awaiting a green light to go
there from Janine Gibson, the editor of the Guardian website, who
was based in New York. Under Gibson’s leadership, The Guardian’s
website had effectively “gone into the business of publishing gov-
ernment secrets,” as the Guardian columnist Michael Wolff pointed
out. Most of the documents had been supplied by Bradley Man-
ning via WikiLeaks. Few if any of these previous documents The
Guardian published were highly classified, and none were SCI top
secret documents. The NSA documents Greenwald had received
wald in Hong Kong, Greenwald was awaiting a green light to go
there from Janine Gibson, the editor of the Guardian website, who
was based in New York. Under Gibson’s leadership, The Guardian’s
website had effectively “gone into the business of publishing gov-
ernment secrets,” as the Guardian columnist Michael Wolff pointed
out. Most of the documents had been supplied by Bradley Man-
ning via WikiLeaks. Few if any of these previous documents The
Guardian published were highly classified, and none were SCI top
secret documents. The NSA documents Greenwald had received
Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.z.indd 85 9/29/16 5:51 PM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019573
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019573
Discussion 0
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this epstein document