With the latest news making headlines about the whistleblowing of American Edward Snowden, the United States of America today addressed the issue of the US cracking down China on the internet.
In an interview with Elise Labott of CNN, US Secretary of State John Kerry says the leaked information is not its surveillance activities on the Chinese people but its US surveillance activities anonymously.
“Anonymously in order to be able to track terrorism. And if there is an act of terrorism or some linkage that is appropriate.” – Secretary Kerry
Secretary Kerry says whatever the surveillance it could be anywhere in the world.
“So this is completely anonymous, completely random.” – Secretary Kerry
He adds it’s really inappropriate for people to be believing that this is somehow an invasion of their privacy, because he explains that there’s no person identified with any of this unless a court were to approve it.
He says the Congress of the United States has approved this, the Judiciary approves it, the Executive has approved it and this has been United States policy for some years.
Secretary Kerry that the situation has nothing to do with hacking, nothing to do with illegality, nothing to do with stealing, everything to do with national security
“In fact, their national security is at risk and at stake in the very same way.” – Secretary Kerry
Who is Edward Snowden?
Edward Snowden is a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton.
Reports say Mr. Snowden has been working at the National Security Agency for the last four years.
Mr. Snowden revealed that the NSA is monitoring telephone and Internet activity as part of its counterterrorism efforts.
Edward Snowden is now being compared to Bradley Manning as “one of America’s most consequential whistleblowers.”
The US government last week reportedy charged Snowden with theft of government property and unauthorized communication of national defense information.
