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0 pointsShank8y ago0 comments

> The reason you "know" the NSA is a threat is because of the increased "transparency" of western democracies.

The reason why we know so much about what the NSA does is because a few NSA contractors have broken the law (for good or for ill) and leaked classified information about operations. Without leaks, there would be no information about what NSA does or doesn't do.

The only difference between NSA and FSB is that FSB hasn't used as many contractors and hasn't had as many leakers in Snowden-like positions.

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sigmar8y ago

>FSB hasn't used as many contractors and hasn't had as many leakers in Snowden-like positions.

FSB has lots of contractors leak though. They just disappear and are never heard from again. Such as Ruslan Stoyanov.

bayesian_horse8y ago

Leakers, and the ensuing discussion and spread of the leaked information, is part of the western culture of transparency.

Of course government agencies don't want to expose their secrets voluntarily. They have to be dragged into the open kicking and screaming. Doesn't mean that they aren't, though.

0xbear8y ago

It's so much part of a "culture" that one of the leakers is only safe in Russia, another spent five years in solitary confinement, and yet another is holed up in an embassy to avoid extraordinary rendition. Some "culture" there.

bayesian_horse8y ago

Julian Assange is no leaker. He doesn't even have a good reason to pretend he is being persecuted.

Voyage_wanderer8y ago

Surge of leakers unable to resolve issues internally points to serious structural problems. I remember times when soviets were prone to leak. I don't believe that there is any global it firm independent of its handlers..

int_19h8y ago

Ironically, we actually know more about FSB warrantless wiretapping from official sources, because things like SORM-2 and SORM-3 are actual written law.

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0 pointsShank8y ago0 comments

> The reason you "know" the NSA is a threat is because of the increased "transparency" of western democracies.

The only difference between NSA and FSB is that FSB hasn't used as many contractors and hasn't had as many leakers in Snowden-like positions.

0 comments

sigmar8y ago

>FSB hasn't used as many contractors and hasn't had as many leakers in Snowden-like positions.

FSB has lots of contractors leak though. They just disappear and are never heard from again. Such as Ruslan Stoyanov.

bayesian_horse8y ago

Leakers, and the ensuing discussion and spread of the leaked information, is part of the western culture of transparency.

Of course government agencies don't want to expose their secrets voluntarily. They have to be dragged into the open kicking and screaming. Doesn't mean that they aren't, though.

0xbear8y ago

bayesian_horse8y ago

Julian Assange is no leaker. He doesn't even have a good reason to pretend he is being persecuted.

Voyage_wanderer8y ago

int_19h8y ago

Ironically, we actually know more about FSB warrantless wiretapping from official sources, because things like SORM-2 and SORM-3 are actual written law.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse