Photos: The weird, wild world of Edward Snowden art tributes

Two monuments to Edward Snowden appeared in New York this week. The first was a giant 100-lb, four-foot high bust glued to a column in a Brooklyn park overnight. Conceived by two anonymous street artists who worked with an also unnamed West coast sculptor, the feat was documented by arts and culture blog, Animal New York.

Almost as soon as the Parks Department removed the unsanctioned effigy later that day, another group of guerrilla artists who call themselves “The Illuminator,” projected a ghost-like hologram of Snowden above the same column. The light show lasted for 20 minutes.

“For me, Snowden is an interesting subject because he stands as evidence that the people we are intended to honor as advised by the state are becoming divergent from the people we actually consider to be our heroes” says Grayson Earle an artist who worked on the Brooklyn projection. “This kind of break in a culture typically precipitates larger political shifts. People are feeling increasingly comfortable in flying their rebel flag, openly advocating for a man charged with treason,” he tells Quartz.

These are just the latest in a string of artists who have paid homage to the former National Security Agency contractor who fled to Russia after leaking classified information to the media. Here are some highlights from the burgeoning Edward Snowden art movement.

Read more @ http://qz.com/380790/photos-the-weird-wild-world-of-edward-snowden-art-tributes/

 

Hologram replaces Edward Snowden statue in Brooklyn park

NEW YORK — Hours after police removed an illicit bust of Edward Snowden from its perch in a Brooklyn park on Monday, artists replaced it with a hologram.

The group of artists — who collectively call themselves "The Illuminator" and are not related to the trio behind the original sculpture — used laptops and projection equipment to cast an image of Snowden in a haze of smoke at the spot where the sculpture once stood.

They say the action was a message of defiance aimed at the authorities who "censored" the piece, according to a tumblr post.

Read more @ http://mashable.com/2015/04/07/edward-snowden-hologram-statue-brooklyn/

 

Why Do Edward Snowden's Supporters Want More Government Control Over the Internet?

 

Why did the same Internet activists who rally against government in the name of privacy turn around and rally in favor of it when it comes to data prioritization arrangements? Partly because of a deep-seated and wholly understandable dislike of ISP giants. But one problem with today's (and yesterday's) complaints about ISP giants, notes Reason magazine Editor-in-Chief Matt Welch, is that they discount the more competitive developments coming tomorrow—if government gets the hell out of the way.

Read more @ http://reason.com/blog/2015/04/10/matt-welch-why-do-edward-snowdens-suppor

 

Oregon man to Obama: 'Please come arrest me' for sending Edward Snowden bitcoin

An Oregon software programmer is publicly taunting President Obama to come arrest him after he openly defied an executive order that appears to prohibit Americans from supplying cyber-currency to Edward Snowden.

Kristopher Ives, who lives in Lafeyette, sent Snowden about 33 cents worth of bitcoin in defiance of the presidential order.

"It's not much but it's the principle of the matter," Ives wrote on the social networking and news site Reddit: "Please come arrest me. I live in Oregon and my name is Kristopher Ives and you can reach me at 503-383-1047."

Ives told The Oregonian on Friday that he was on Reddit on Wednesday, April 1, when news of Obama's executive order hit the Internet.

At first, he thought it might be an April Fools' Day prank.

"I don't want to play the tin foil-hat person," he said, "but it just seemed so odd to (sign an executive order) on April Fools."

Read more @ http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2015/04/oregon_man_to_obama_please_com.html

 

After Obama's cybersecurity order threatens Snowden fund, bitcoin donations spike

Summary:A new executive order is said to have made it illegal to donate to Edward Snowden's fund, which didn't go down so well with one good-spirited community.

A new executive order signed into law this week by the president has one online community up in arms, after its loose wording effectively ruled out donating to Edward Snowden and others.

In a post on Reddit's Bitcoin subreddit, members pledged to donate to the whistleblower's relief fund, despite the wording of the new executive order suggesting that doing so was illegal.

In the new executive order, signed into law on Wednesday, US President Barack Obama declared cyber-threats aimed at the US a "national emergency." The order threatens sanctions against those (including US residents) who engage in cyberattacks and espionage activities that threaten US interests at home and abroad.

The wording of the order specifically addresses any person whose "property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States."

Redditors were quick to assume (likely correctly) that this includes Edward Snowden, who for more than a year-and-a-half has lived in Russia, evading US justice.

"This is almost as bad as the Patriot Act," said the user who first posted the thread.

Snowden, a 31-year-old former US government contractor, fled the US to Hong Kong and on to Russia after leaking tens of thousands of classified documents pertaining to the National Security Agency's surveillance operations.

Within days, he outed himself, and was subsequently charged with espionage. But in a recent "ask me anything" on Reddit, Snowden regretted only one thing: "I would have come forward sooner," he said.

Regardless of the threat of sanctions, one Reddit user Kristopher Ives said he donated to the Snowden fund in bitcoin, a virtual currency used online.

Read more @ http://www.zdnet.com/article/snowden-donations-rocket-after-obamas-cybersecurity-order-outlaws-fund/

 

'Obama Effect' Results in 200 Bitcoin Donations to Edward Snowden

In light of a sudden “executive order” issued by Barack Obama in America, many Bitcoin redditors surmised that it's now illegal to donate money to people like Edward Snowden.

But netizens that they are, political boundaries and proclamations mean very little to them. Within just a few hours of the legalese going up at WhiteHouse.gov, a whole swarm of Bitcoin users and miners alike decided to send some extra thanks to Snowden.

The monetary gratitude turned out to be even larger than the one elicited by the release of the Snowden documentary Citizenfour:

Read more @ http://cointelegraph.com/news/113865/obama-effect-results-in-200-bitcoin-donations-to-edward-snowden

 

Whistleblow-dry! Shailene Woodley dons a new wig on the Snowden set in Washington with Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley were back on the Snowden set Thursday, but with a slight difference.

The stars were sporting slightly more mature hairstyles for the day as they filmed scenes for the political thriller, about the real life of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, in Washington.

Shailene's hair was shorter and perfectly coiffed while Joseph's barnet had been swept to the side as though these scenes take place at a later time in Snowden's life-changing story.

Read more @ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3033845/Shailene-Woodley-dons-new-wig-Snowden-set-Washington-Joseph-Gordon-Levitt.html

 

Edward Snowden’s Russian lawyer writes novel inspired by client

Anatoly Kucherena, U.S. whistleblower and former CIA employee Edward Snowden’ Russian lawyer, has published a detective thriller in Russian called “Vremya Shpruta” (“Time of the Octopus”), whose protagonist is based on his client. All the characters in the book have fictitious names, but Kucherena said that "some of the facts in it are true" at a launch event for the novel. The film adaptation of the book is already in the making, with Oliver Stone as the director. RBTH spoke with the lawyer about the book, Snowden and Hollywood.

Read more @ http://asia.rbth.com/society/2015/04/09/edward_snowdens_russian_lawyer_writes_novel_inspired_by_client_45117.html

 

Britain spied on Argentina over Falkland Islands fear, Edward Snowden documents reveal: reports

Documents leaked by US whistleblower Edward Snowden reportedly claim Britain spied on Argentina decades after their bloody battle over the Falkland Islands.

Britain defeated Argentina in the battle for the South Atlantic islands in 1982 after a 74-day war that claimed the lives of at least 900 people.

Despite claiming the islands, Britain carried out "covert interception, intervention operations and other manoeuvres" on Argentina from 2008 to 2011, according to news portal TN, citing documents obtained from Mr Snowden.

The website said the Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group, a British agency, carried out a "long-term, far-reaching" espionage program dubbed Operation Quito.

It said that included attempts to spy on military and political leaders' communications and to spread pro-British propaganda online.

"The new, never-before-seen documents expose how [Britain's] most secret task forces used a dirty game and systematic disinformation to launch their cyber-offensive," the website claimed.

It said the objective was "to prevent Argentina from getting back the islands".

Mr Snowden, a former contractor at the US National Security Agency, has lived in exile in Russia since 2013 after revealing mass spying programs by the US and its allies.

Tension over the Falklands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas, have been on the rise again since British defence secretary Michael Fallon last week announced plans to spend tens of millions of dollars to counter "continuous intimidation" from Argentina.

Read more @ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-04/britain-spied-on-argentina-over-falklands-snowden-documents-say/6370636

 

No joke: How to decode the John Oliver-Edward Snowden interview

The comedian's interview with Edward Snowden delivers a primer on government surveillance programs -- and explains why it matters

Can John Oliver do for government surveillance what he did for Net neutrality? Last year, the comedian transformed the debate for many by explaining why everyone should give a damn about Net neutrality. After exhorting viewers to rise up and make their voices heard, comments on Net neutrality flooded the FCC.   

This week, Oliver took viewers on a tour of the scary world of government surveillance, full of strange-sounding programs like XKeyScore, Muscular, PRISM, and MYSTIC that no one really understands. A subject so massively complex that "it's like the IT guy comes into your office and you go 'Oh s**t, don't teach me anything. I don't want to learn. You smell like canned soup.'"

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[ Also InfoWorld: The only Edward Snowden interview you need to watch | Deep Dive: How to rethink security for the new world of IT. | Discover how to secure your systems with InfoWorld's Security newsletter. ]

Oliver pointed out with Net neutrality that "if you want to do something evil, put it inside something boring. Advocates should not be talking about protecting Net neutrality ... they should call it 'preventing cable company f**kery,' because that is what it is -- and it might actually compel people to want to do something."

While massive, warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens could aptly be called "government f**kery," Oliver conjured a new sound bite to capture public interest -- "'Can they see my dick?' Because this is the most visible line in the sand for most people" -- and flew to Russia to get NSA-contractor-turned-leaker Edward Snowden to explain it all. Oliver wants people to care -- and do something about -- government surveillance.

Read more @ http://www.infoworld.com/article/2908296/government/how-to-decode-john-oliver-edward-snowden-interview.html

 

Edward Snowden Explains Why You Should Use Passphrases, Not Passwords

We’ve talked a lot about password security, and how you should be using longer, complex passphrases, rather than short passwords. In this video, Edward Snowden explains why you should use passphrases in a way all your friends and family can understand.

It can’t be overstated how important it is to use strong passwords, given that we still haven’t figured this mess out. And until we do, PSAs like this one stay important. And it could hardly come from a more relevant source. Edward Snowden famously leaked key details about the NSA’s mass surveillance, so he knows a thing or two about what makes a system secure or not.

The best password is one even you don’t know, which is why still recommend augmenting your security strategy with a password manager. However, for the passwords you do have to remember, long pass phrases—that aren’t common, well-known phrases that are likely to be in a dictionary—are the way to go.

Read more @ http://lifehacker.com/edward-snowden-explains-why-you-should-use-passphrases-1696958545


"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us."  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~