
Filmmaker from NSA Leaks Case Emerges from Behind the Camera - teawithcarl
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/15/business/media/filmmaker-linked-to-leaks-has-her-own-stories-to-tell.html?hp
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Amadou
I know the article touches on this point, but I thought it worth saying
directly. The fact that this journalist had long been publicly singled out for
extra scrutiny under the current programs is a damning indictment of them.
Whether she was targeted for political reasons or simply because the dragnet
was too wide - neither explanation is compatible with the basic requirements
for a functioning democracy.

If the people whose job it is to speak truth to power are being persecuted by
the system then we are no better today than we were 50 years ago when the FBI
used their surveillance of Martin Luther King to try to intimidate him into
silence.

~~~
spikels
There is a not so subtle carrot and stick. A reporter who goes along with
those in power can expect access, leaks and perhaps lucrative jobs for their
family [1]. But a reporter who embarrasses our leaders will lose the access
they need to do their jobs and may be harassed by airport security or even
investigated by FBI [2],[3] or have their computer hacked [4]. Powerful
incentives to go along with their views.

[1] [http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/media-
administ...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/media-
administration-deal-with-
conflicts/2013/06/12/e6f98314-ca2e-11e2-8da7-d274bc611a47_story.html)

[2] [http://bigstory.ap.org/article/govt-obtains-wide-ap-phone-
re...](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/govt-obtains-wide-ap-phone-records-
probe)

[3] [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/us/politics/white-house-
de...](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/us/politics/white-house-defends-
tracking-fox-reporter.html)

[4] [http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-
wemple/wp/2013/06/1...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-
wemple/wp/2013/06/14/cbs-news-confirms-multiple-breaches-of-sharyl-attkissons-
computer/)

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omonra
Can someone elaborate on the 'encrypted online conversation' they mention in
the article?

~~~
e3pi
"....Software like that exists. One of the oldest is PGP, e-mail encryption
software released in 1991. Others include OTR (for “off the record”), which
enables secure instant messaging, and the Internet telephony apps Silent
Circle and Redphone.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5880596](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5880596)

[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/14/n...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/14/nsa-
proof-encryption-exists-why-doesnt-anyone-use-it/?wprss=rss_ezra-klein)

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e3pi
More isolated heroes surfacing, coalescing, and encouraging popular outrage
and opposition.

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ajtaylor
I remember reading about this filmmaker in a previous NYT article. It bothers
me immeasurably that this sort of harassment (is there any other way to
describe it?) happens to people simply because they are trying to shed light
on things the government would rather keep in the shadows.

