Edward Snowden's new South China Morning Post revelations - network backbone hacking - diplomatic bullying

29-year-old Edward Snowden was a former technical assistant for the Central Intelligence Agency and had worked for the NSA in the past four years for contractors including Booz Allen, his most recent employer, who said yesterday Snowden has been fired. In further revelations this morning, this time to the South China Morning Post (where it is already Thursday), Snowden additionally reveals that:

• US National Security Agency’s controversial Prism programme extends to people and institutions in Hong Kong and mainland China;
• The US is exerting “bullying’’ diplomatic pressure on Hong Kong to extradite him;
• Hong Kong’s rule of law will protect him from the US;
• He is in constant fear for his own safety and that of his family.

“We hack network backbones – like huge internet routers, basically – that give us access to the communications of hundreds of thousands of computers without having to hack every single one,” he said.

“Last week the American government happily operated in the shadows with no respect for the consent of the governed, but no longer. Every level of society is demanding accountability and oversight.”

Snowden said he was releasing the information to demonstrate “the hypocrisy of the US government when it claims that it does not target civilian infrastructure, unlike its adversaries”.

“Not only does it do so, but it is so afraid of this being known that it is willing to use any means, such as diplomatic intimidation, to prevent this information from becoming public.” [source SCMP]

So, this seriously extends the NSA/PRISM snooping remit right around the world into a hacking festival of Global Proportions, and we still haven’t seen the other 36 slides of the original Prism Powerpoint Product that both the Guardian and the Washington post only revealed the first 5 slides of yet.

What the hell will Capitalism’s Most Damaging whistleblower reveal in further updates?