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Synopsis

What would you do if your government could look at every message, photo, and conversation you have ever had? How should citizens respond to mass technological surveillance by a democratically elected government?

Edward Snowden exposed one of the American government's greatest secrets: a massive surveillance system that wiretaps all communications across the Internet and stores them forever. For the first time, Snowden writes about this journey in his autobiography Permanent Record, the ideals that inspired him to reveal these secrets, and what they mean to every one of us today.

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Questions and answers
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The real-world implications of the surveillance system exposed by Snowden are vast. It revealed that privacy, as we understand it, is virtually non-existent in the digital age. The government has the ability to monitor all online communications, which can be seen as an infringement on personal freedoms and civil liberties. This revelation has led to a global debate on privacy rights, government transparency, and the balance between national security and individual privacy. It has also prompted tech companies to enhance their data encryption and privacy measures to protect user data.

Snowden's exposure of the surveillance system challenges existing paradigms of privacy and security by revealing the extent to which personal communications are monitored and stored by the government. This revelation forces a reevaluation of the balance between privacy rights and national security, as it raises questions about the legality and ethics of such extensive surveillance. It also highlights the vulnerability of digital communications and the need for stronger data protection measures.

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Top 20 insights

  1. Snowden was born in a family that had served in every war in American history. His love of gadgets was fueled by his father, an electronic engineer who introduced him to computers. Snowden's father worked at the Aeronautical Engineering Department of the Coast Guard while his mother worked for the National Security Agency.
  2. Snowden would spend entire nights on the Internet, lost in an endless world of information and possibilities. The anonymity of the Internet allowed young Snowden to freely express himself and gave him the intellectual freedom to change opinions instead of being forced to defend them.
  3. To spend more time on the Internet, Snowden found ingenious ways to hack school. He knew the rules better than anyone else and exploited the vulnerabilities. He analyzed his course syllabus and found smart ways to achieve decent grades without homework.
  4. When Snowden's parents got a divorce during his Freshman year, he was sick for four months with infectious mononucleosis. When it looked like he had to repeat that year in school, Snowden did a clever workaround to enroll in the local community college.
  5. Snowden was at Fort Meade during 9/11 and witnessed the uproar when the NSA and CIA were ordered to evacuate the offices. This left a lasting imprint on him. After 9/11, the heads of agencies petitioned and got approval for extraordinary security measures.
  6. 9/11 marked a fundamental shift in Snowden's life. His anti-establishment ethos gave way to a burning desire to serve the country in uniform. He cleared the army entrance to qualify as a Special Forces Sergeant, an elite track usually reserved for existing army soldiers. But an accident during training led to severe stress fractures and he was discharged.
  7. During recovery, Snowden felt that he could best serve America through his computing skills and started to work for the intelligence community. Since most open government positions were contract-based, Snowden took employment with the company COMSO on paper, but his real work was to maintain CIA servers from the CIA Headquarters.
  8. Snowden then shifted jobs to work directly for the CIA as a Telecommunication Information Security Officer, responsible for the maintenance of everything from servers to solar panels at secret intelligence stations inside the American embassies abroad. After training, Snowden worked in Geneva and put his digital spying skills to help CIA agents track suspects.
  9. Snowden shifted to a contract job with the NSA in Japan, as a Dell employee on paper. While the NSA was superior to the CIA in terms of cyber intelligence, it lacked the most basic security and backup mechanisms. Snowden was tasked to build EPICSHELTER, a comprehensive disaster recovery system that could restore all systems to normal even if Fort Meade went down.
  10. A chance encounter revealed the existence of NSA's program STELLARWIND, which was designed for mass surveillance of all internet communication across the globe. This data was to be stored for perpetuity to be searched at whim. Snowden realized that his work protected only the NSA and not his country.
  11. Before this, the two countries that had attempted mass surveillance were Nazi Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union. A single smartphone today has more processing power than the computers of the Reich and the Soviet Union combined. Continuous collection and permanent storage of all data meant that anyone could be scapegoated at any time.
  12. When Snowden returned home from abroad, Americans were willingly hosting private photos and files on cloud services, ceding data ownership, and inviting corporate surveillance. This created tremendous revenue for corporations, while the government poached this data either through secret warrants or surveilled the companies themselves.
  13. The stress to keep this knowledge secret led to an epileptic seizure. Snowden was forced to take a short-term disability leave. After months of recovery, he took up a job at the Office of Information Sharing in Hawaii. The role would give him the leisure to recover and access to NSA files to confirm the existence of a mass surveillance system.
  14. Snowden discovered three programs that put the entire Internet under surveillance. PRISM collected all email, audio, video, and chat data from corporations like Microsoft and Google. Upstream Collection collected all internet traffic by directly tapping Internet Service Providers. Finally, XKEYSCORE was a search engine that could search for any person and read all of their emails, search history, social media, and even live video.
  15. NSA's mass surveillance was a stunning violation of the Fourth Amendment, abetted by all three branches of the government. Snowden realized that the only way to restore the balance of power between citizens and government would be responsible whistleblowing through the media.
  16. Snowden smuggled documents in tiny SD cards and saved them on an encrypted hard disc. The encryption ensured a long enough secret key, so that all of the world's computing power combined could not break it open. Encryption is the only reliable protection against surveillance.
  17. Snowden met with documentarian Lauren Poitras and Glenn Greenwald of the Guardian in Hong Kong. On June 5, 2013, the Guardian published the first story on NSA's collection of every call record from Verizon. On June 6, Washington Post ran a story on the PRISM program. On June 9, Snowden released a video on the Guardian to own up responsibility for whistleblowing.
  18. Faced with extradition request from the US government, Snowden flew to Ecuador for asylum. During a layover in Russia, he realized that the US State Department had revoked his passport, and was consequently stranded in the airport for 40 days while 27 countries refused him asylum. Finally, the Russian government granted him temporary asylum and brought an end to this ordeal.
  19. Snowden's revelations forced the US Congress to launch multiple investigations that revealed how NSA had systematically lied about the surveillance programs. The NSA's program was held to be unconstitutional by federal courts. The USA Freedom Act explicitly prohibited the bulk collection of American's phone records. Apple and Google adopted secure encryption on their devices.
  20. Snowden now heads the Freedom of Press Foundation, dedicated to the empowerment of public interest journalism through better encryption technologies. He spends his time to raise global awareness on civil liberties in the digital age.

Summary

The last undigitized generation

Born in North Carolina in 1983, Edward Snowden was a part of the last undigitized generation whose activities were captured in diaries, Polaroids, and VHS tapes, and not on networked devices connected to the cloud. His family had fought in every war in America's history from the Revolution to the Second World War. Snowden's love of gadgets began quite early, fueled by his father, who was an electronic engineer in the Coast Guard and would bring home new devices every other week. Snowden's early years were filled with Nintendo video games and visiting his father's electronics lab, where he saw a computer for the first time. This encounter was the beginning of a life-long fascination with computers and programming.

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Questions and answers
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Permanent Record, written by Edward Snowden, contributes to the contemporary debates on privacy and surveillance by providing an insider's perspective on the extent of government surveillance. Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor, exposed one of the government's greatest secrets, revealing the extent of the U.S. government's surveillance programs. His revelations sparked global debates about privacy, surveillance, and the role of government in the digital age. The book offers a detailed account of his journey, providing insights into the implications of these surveillance programs on our privacy rights today.

Edward Snowden's early fascination with computers and programming played a significant role in shaping his future. His father, an electronic engineer, introduced him to gadgets and computers at a young age. This early exposure sparked a lifelong interest in technology, which later led him to a career in computer programming and information technology. His skills and knowledge in these areas were instrumental in his ability to expose government secrets, as detailed in his book 'Permanent Record'. His story underscores the impact of early experiences and interests on one's career path and life choices.

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Online lives

The move from North Carolina to Crofton, Maryland, was a social and economic step-up for the family. Snowden's father worked at the Aeronautical Engineering Department of the Coast Guard while his mother worked for the NSA. Their neighbors worked for the FBI, the Defense Department, and the Department of Commerce. The entire Beltway around Fort Meade was filled with families working with a branch or agency related to the government. It was at this time that Snowden got his first desktop computer with 8-bit color display and 200 MB of RAM. He would spend every possible minute he was allowed to on the computer. Snowden was 12 when the family got an Internet connection for the first time, thus opening an entire world of information and possibilities that occupied all his time. Whole nights would be spent on the Internet lost in endless learning about arcane topics and sleeping was reserved for the daytime. Snowden became paler and more sedentary and his grades fell. At a time when the Internet was wilder and more unregulated, the ability to be anonymous gave the possibility of freely expressing oneself. One could pick a new digital persona, start over, and not be judged. This ability to reinvent gave teenage Snowden the intellectual freedom to change opinions instead of being forced to defend them. His passion for building his own computer led him to forums and chatrooms where experts and tenured professors would patiently answer the 12-year old's questions and curiosities.

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Questions and answers
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Edward Snowden decided to drop out of high school when he began exploring a new world through his computer and the internet. He spent his best time on the computer and searching for information on the internet. As a result, his academic performance declined and he left his high school education. This decision turned out to be a life-changing one.

Edward Snowden's early internet experiences had a profound impact on his understanding of information and its power. As a child, he spent countless hours on the internet, exploring and learning about a variety of topics. This early exposure to the vast world of information available online likely shaped his understanding of the power of information. It may have also contributed to his later actions, as he came to understand the importance of transparency and the potential dangers of information being controlled or hidden by certain entities.

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Hacking school

The adolescent was fed up with the arbitrary tyranny of rules that teachers imposed in school. Filled with a rebellious spirit and inspired by the digital world, Snowden decided to hack the rules at school. Hacking the system doesn't necessarily means breaking the rules. One has to know the rules better than anyone else to exploit the vulnerabilities that exist. This is true not only for computers but for any rule-based system. To minimize school hours, Snowden analyzed the syllabus sheet and found a way to get a decent grade without doing any homework. This time was used to hone his computer skills. As with many in the hacking community, Snowden did not do this for power or wealth, but merely the desire to test the limits of his talent. These experiments included reporting a security vulnerability in the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which hosted America's nuclear program.

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Hacking rule-based systems, as explained in Permanent Record, is not about breaking the rules but rather understanding them better than anyone else to exploit their vulnerabilities. This concept applies not only to computers but to any system governed by rules. For instance, Edward Snowden, as a teenager, analyzed the school syllabus to minimize his school hours and get a decent grade without doing homework. He used this time to improve his computer skills. The motivation behind such hacking is not power or wealth, but the desire to test one's abilities and push boundaries.

A company in a traditional sector like manufacturing or retail can apply the innovative approaches discussed in Permanent Record by embracing the concept of 'hacking the system'. This doesn't mean breaking the rules, but understanding them better than anyone else to exploit existing vulnerabilities. For instance, a manufacturing company can analyze its production process in depth to identify inefficiencies or loopholes, and then innovate to improve productivity. Similarly, a retail business can deeply understand consumer behavior and market trends to find creative ways to increase sales or customer satisfaction. It's about using knowledge and skills to push the boundaries and improve the system.

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Separation

Snowden's life came crashing down during his Freshman year when his parents divorced. While Snowden's sister reacted by throwing herself into college applications, he responded by turning further inwards and distancing himself from his parents. The problematic situation was further complicated by a debilitating attack of infectious mononucleosis that left him bedridden for four months. When he realized that he had to repeat the school year, he managed to find a clever workaround and enrolled himself in a local community college to bypass the remaining years in school. Snowden put his tech skills to use as a freelancer building websites and used that to pay his tuition. Recognizing the importance of professional certifications in the IT industry, he studied and became qualified as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.

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Edward Snowden's life story demonstrates the potential for resilience, adaptability, and self-reliance. Despite facing personal challenges such as his parents' divorce and a debilitating illness, Snowden managed to bypass traditional educational pathways and leverage his tech skills to build a career. His story could inspire individuals facing similar challenges to seek alternative routes to success, particularly in the IT industry where professional certifications can be more valuable than traditional degrees. Furthermore, his actions in exposing government secrets highlight the potential impact individuals can have when they stand up for their beliefs, which could inspire others to act on their convictions.

Small businesses can learn from Edward Snowden's life in several ways. Firstly, they can understand the importance of adaptability in the face of adversity, as Snowden did when his life took an unexpected turn. Secondly, they can see the value of self-reliance and initiative, demonstrated by Snowden's decision to freelance and pay his own tuition. Lastly, they can recognize the significance of professional certifications and continuous learning, which Snowden pursued to advance his career in the IT industry.

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9/11 at Fort Meade

When 9/11 happened, Snowden was at the residential quarters of Fort Meade. It was pandemonium all around with the NSA and CIA headquarters being evacuated. Special police, barbed wires, and Humvees with machine guns filled the streets, eventually becoming a permanent part of Fort Meade. America would never be the same again. Over a hundred thousand employees of the Intelligence Community returned to work the next day, knowing that they had failed to keep America safe. The heads of agencies petitioned and got approval for extraordinary security measures. Personally, Snowden's anti-establishment hacker ethos was entirely overwhelmed by a sense of patriotic duty. He signed up for the army, with top-grade scores in the entrance exams to be qualified as a Special Forces Sergeant, an elite track that was usually for existing army soldiers. However, a grievous accident during training left him with severe stress fractures that forced him off the training program. Eventually, he was given a discharge via ""administrative separation"" from the Army.

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After Edward Snowden's accident during army training, which left him with severe stress fractures, he was forced off the training program. This incident significantly altered his career trajectory. Unable to continue his path in the army, Snowden eventually found his way into the intelligence community. He used his technical skills to secure a position with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). This marked the beginning of his career in intelligence and ultimately led to his role as a whistleblower, exposing government secrets.

Edward Snowden's severe stress fractures forced him to leave the army training program. This was a significant consequence as he had scored top grades in the entrance exams and was on track to become a Special Forces Sergeant, a prestigious position usually reserved for existing army soldiers. After leaving the training program, his career took a different path.

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A digital spymaster

Throughout his recovery, Snowden realized that the best way to serve his country would be through his computing skills. He applied for the TS/SCI, the highest level of security clearance. After a thorough background check and a polygraph test, Snowden was deemed fit to work in the highest echelons of the intelligence community. Around the same time, he met 19-year-old Lindsay, his future life partner, through a casual interaction on HotorNot.com that quickly blossomed into a relationship.

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Edward Snowden's experiences as presented in Permanent Record challenge existing paradigms in the intelligence community by exposing the extent of government surveillance. Snowden's actions sparked a global conversation about privacy, government secrecy, and the balance between national security and individual rights. His decision to leak classified information challenged the practice of government secrecy. Furthermore, his ability to access and disseminate such sensitive information raised questions about internal security practices within the intelligence community.

A tech startup can use the key topics covered in Permanent Record to grow by understanding the importance of data privacy and security. Edward Snowden's story emphasizes the need for robust security measures in tech companies. Startups can learn from this and implement strong data protection policies from the beginning. They can also use his journey to understand the potential ethical implications of their work and strive to uphold the highest ethical standards. Furthermore, Snowden's ability to teach himself advanced computing skills can inspire startups to foster a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

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Building CIA's cloud

By the time Snowden joined, the intelligence community had increasingly taken to hiring temporary contract workers from the private sector. Most open positions were through private companies. For example, the company COMSO employed Snowden on paper, but his real work was at the CIA headquarters. Snowden was responsible for maintaining CIA servers, including top-secret cryptography servers in the United States. He soon shifted to working for the CIA directly as a Telecommunication Information Security Officer. These officers were responsible for maintaining every part of the CIA's technical infrastructure hidden inside American embassies abroad, from computers to solar panels. At the end of his training, Snowden was posted to Geneva, which had sophisticated targets like UN Agencies and International Organizations, including the World Trade Organization. Most of this spy work was technological. During the 2008 global recession, Snowden saw how Geneva flourished with money flooding Swiss Banks while the world suffered. What was painful for the public benefitted the elites.

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Questions and answers
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Yes, there are other individuals like Edward Snowden who have exposed government secrets. Some notable examples include Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers revealing the U.S. government's deceit in the Vietnam War, and Chelsea Manning, who disclosed a large amount of classified military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks.

Exposing government secrets, as illustrated in Permanent Record, can present several challenges. Firstly, individuals may face legal repercussions, as they are essentially breaking the law by leaking classified information. This could lead to imprisonment or other penalties. Secondly, they may face professional consequences, such as losing their job or being blacklisted in their industry. Thirdly, they may face personal consequences, such as threats to their safety or the safety of their loved ones. Lastly, they may face ethical dilemmas, as they must decide whether the public's right to know outweighs the potential harm that could come from exposing the information.

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Snowden took up a new contract job with the NSA in Japan, as a Dell employee on paper. This center was responsible for maintaining the NSA infrastructure across the Pacific and spying on most countries in that region. The NSA was far more advanced than the CIA in terms of Cyber-intelligence. However, it lacked the most elementary security features, including encryption and global backups. Snowden was tasked with building EPICSHELTER, a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery system for the entire NSA. EPICSHELTER could restore all the data collected back to normal, even if Fort Meade went down.

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The case study in 'Permanent Record' highlights the NSA's lack of basic security features, such as encryption and global backups. Despite being advanced in cyber-intelligence, this oversight made them vulnerable. Edward Snowden was tasked with building EPICSHELTER, a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery system for the entire NSA. This system could restore all data back to normal, even if Fort Meade, the NSA's headquarters, went down. The broader implications of this case study suggest that even the most advanced intelligence agencies can have significant security gaps. This could potentially lead to data breaches, compromising national security. It also underscores the importance of robust security measures in protecting sensitive information.

A manufacturing company can apply the cybersecurity approaches discussed in Permanent Record by implementing robust data backup and disaster recovery systems, similar to the EPICSHELTER system that Snowden was tasked with building for the NSA. This would ensure that all data can be restored back to normal in the event of a disaster. Additionally, the company should prioritize encryption and other basic security features that were lacking in the NSA's infrastructure, according to Snowden. These measures would help to protect the company's sensitive information from cyber threats.

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Surveillance state

When he joined the NSA, Snowden had little idea of its surveillance practices beyond the President's Surveillance Program (PSP), a Bush-era executive order that permitted the NSA to collect phone and Internet communications between the US and the world without a warrant. However, a file left on a server managed by Snowden had explosive revelations: the NSA's program STELLARWIND was designed for mass surveillance of all internet communication across the globe. This data was to be stored for perpetuity to be searched at whim. The NSA justified this by making a futile and pedantic distinction between data and metadata, arguing that metadata collection was not prohibited by US law. Effectively metadata can tell someone everything they want to know about a person ranging from their current location to who they have called. Snowden felt cheated, realizing that he had been protecting the state and not the country. The only two countries that had previously employed mass surveillance were Nazi Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union. Today, a single smartphone has more processing power than the computers of the Reich and the Soviet Union combined. The law had not kept pace with technology. With continuous collection and permanent storage of all data, anyone could be scapegoated at any time.

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One of the most surprising revelations in 'Permanent Record' about the NSA's surveillance practices is the existence of the program STELLARWIND. This program was designed for mass surveillance of all internet communication across the globe, with the data being stored indefinitely for future searches. The NSA justified this by making a distinction between data and metadata, arguing that metadata collection was not prohibited by US law. However, metadata can reveal extensive information about a person, including their current location and who they have called. This realization led Snowden to feel that he had been protecting the state, not the country.

The concept of mass surveillance as presented in Permanent Record challenges existing paradigms in national security by revealing the extent to which governments, particularly the US government, are willing to infringe upon individual privacy rights in the name of national security. The book reveals that the NSA's program, STELLARWIND, was designed for mass surveillance of all internet communication across the globe, storing this data indefinitely. This challenges the traditional paradigm that surveillance should be targeted and based on reasonable suspicion. It also challenges the practice of obtaining a warrant before conducting surveillance, as the NSA was collecting phone and Internet communications without a warrant. This revelation forces a reevaluation of the balance between national security and individual privacy rights.

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Back in America

Snowden moved back to America to work with Dell as a Solutions Consultant for the CIA. The job was to design and build systems for the CIA. The America he returned to had changed significantly. Users were willingly hosting private photos and files on cloud services, ceding data ownership, and inviting corporate surveillance. This created tremendous revenue for corporates, and the government in turn poached this data either through secret warrants or surveilling the companies themselves. Snowden felt the immense stress of this knowledge yet not being able to share it with anyone. One day on an official call, he collapsed with what was later diagnosed as an epileptic seizure. He was forced to take a short-term disability leave.

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Questions and answers
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Edward Snowden experienced significant personal consequences due to the stress of his knowledge about government surveillance. He felt immense stress from knowing about the surveillance and not being able to share it with anyone. This stress eventually led to a physical manifestation when he collapsed during an official call, which was later diagnosed as an epileptic seizure. As a result, he was forced to take a short-term disability leave.

The change in American citizens' data privacy habits, particularly the increased willingness to host private photos and files on cloud services, significantly impacted both corporate revenue and government surveillance. This shift in behavior led to a surrender of data ownership and an invitation to corporate surveillance. Corporates greatly benefited from this, experiencing a substantial increase in revenue. The government, in turn, capitalized on this situation by accessing this data either through secret warrants or by surveilling the companies themselves.

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Hacking the constitution

After months of recovery, Snowden and Lindsay moved to Hawaii, as the doctors felt it would help him recover better. He took up a Dell contract job with NSA at the Office of Information Sharing. Although, this role was a step down the career ladder, it gave him the leisure for recovery and, more importantly the access to read the files needed to confirm the extent of NSA's surveillance. To do this, Snowden built a system called Heartbeat, which pulled documents from all CIA internal sites to deliver tailored newsfeeds for each NSA officer. The documents collected by Heartbeat were the source of all the documents later leaked to the Press by Snowden.

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The question seems to be incomplete and lacks a specific query related to Edward Snowden's disclosures. However, it's clear that you're asking about the impact of Snowden's revelations on international relations, particularly between the U.S. and its allies.

Snowden's disclosures in 2013 revealed extensive global surveillance programs run by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and its Five Eyes alliance with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. These revelations strained U.S. relations with several countries, as they exposed the extent to which the U.S. was monitoring not just potential threats, but also its allies.

This led to diplomatic fallout and discussions about privacy, surveillance, and the balance between national security and individual rights. The exact nature of the tensions would depend on the specific countries and incidents you're referring to.

While it's true that the US government has extensive capabilities for tracking internet usage, it's not accurate to say that they can track "all" of Edward Snowden's internet usage. There are methods, such as using encrypted communication channels, VPNs, and anonymizing networks like Tor, that can make tracking significantly more difficult. Furthermore, Snowden, being a former NSA contractor and a whistleblower on surveillance practices, would likely be well-versed in such methods to protect his privacy. However, it's important to note that no method is completely foolproof, and the risk of detection always exists.

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Snowden discovered PRISM, an NSA program to collect all email, audio, video, and chat data from Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook, and Skype, among others. Over 90% of Internet traffic flows through infrastructure owned by the US government or US companies. Upstream collection was a mechanism by which the NSA collected this internet traffic by directly Internet Service Providers across the world. Between these two programs, the entire Internet was under total surveillance. XKEYSCORE was a Google-like search engine that allowed you to search for a person and read all of their emails, search history, social media, and even live video.

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The themes of Snowden's revelations are highly relevant to contemporary issues and debates on privacy and surveillance. Snowden's exposure of programs like PRISM and XKEYSCORE highlighted the extent of government surveillance, raising questions about the balance between national security and individual privacy. These revelations have sparked ongoing debates about the rights of individuals, the power of government agencies, and the role of technology companies in aiding surveillance. In the digital age, where a significant amount of personal information is stored online, these issues continue to be of paramount importance.

Edward Snowden's exposure of the NSA's surveillance programs has significantly influenced corporate strategies and business models. Companies have become more aware of the importance of data privacy and security. This has led to increased investment in cybersecurity measures and the development of more secure communication platforms. Additionally, companies have had to reconsider their data collection and storage practices to ensure they are in compliance with privacy laws and regulations. Some businesses have also used this as an opportunity to differentiate themselves by offering privacy-focused products and services.

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NSA's mass surveillance was a flagrant violation of the Fourth Amendment actively aided by the failure of both the legislature and judiciary. The legislature abandoned its supervisory role until only a few select committees knew what the NSA was doing. The branch expanded the mandate of secret courts that heard only from the government, to authorize mass surveillance without any public scrutiny or challenge. The US Supreme Court denied the right to even challenge NSA's surveillance in open courts. The executive branch authorized the policy of mass surveillance. The three branches of government failed deliberately with coordination. As Snowden puts it, the intelligence community had hacked the Constitution.

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The information about NSA's mass surveillance in 'Permanent Record' can be used to promote privacy rights by raising awareness about the extent of government surveillance. It can be used to educate the public about their privacy rights and the importance of protecting them. It can also be used to advocate for stronger privacy laws and regulations, and to hold the government accountable for its actions. Furthermore, it can inspire individuals and organizations to take action to protect their privacy, such as by using encryption and other privacy-enhancing technologies.

In 'Permanent Record', Edward Snowden reveals that the NSA's mass surveillance was a flagrant violation of the Fourth Amendment. This was actively aided by the failure of both the legislature and judiciary. The legislature abandoned its supervisory role until only a few select committees knew what the NSA was doing. Secret courts were expanded to authorize mass surveillance without any public scrutiny or challenge. The US Supreme Court denied the right to even challenge NSA's surveillance in open courts. The executive branch authorized the policy of mass surveillance. The three branches of government failed deliberately with coordination. As Snowden puts it, the intelligence community had hacked the Constitution.

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Going public

This degree of complicity made Snowden realize that a full public disclosure of this mass surveillance through the media with documentary evidence was the only way to restore a balance of power between citizens and government. Going public through the media would ensure responsible sharing without endangering national security. Snowden began preparations for this with the full knowledge that leaking even a single document could land him in prison for years. Snowden made contact with documentarian Lauren Poitras and Glenn Greenwald of the Guardian, who were already targeted for reporting on NSA's surveillance.

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The insights from Permanent Record can help individuals better understand their rights to privacy by shedding light on the extent of government surveillance. The book reveals how personal data is collected and used, often without consent or knowledge. This can make individuals more aware of their privacy rights and the importance of protecting them. It also emphasizes the need for transparency and accountability in government actions related to privacy. Understanding these issues can help individuals take steps to protect their privacy, such as using encryption and advocating for privacy rights.

The themes of "Permanent Record" are highly relevant to contemporary debates on privacy and surveillance. The book, written by Edward Snowden, discusses his exposure of government mass surveillance, which is a central issue in current discussions about privacy rights. Snowden's actions sparked global debates about the balance between national security and individual privacy. His story continues to influence discussions on the regulation of surveillance technologies and the rights of citizens to privacy.

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Snowden painstakingly smuggled out the documents from Heartbeat in tiny SD cards without arousing suspicion. These were then transferred to a hard disc and protected with multiple layers of encryption. The math behind encryption ensured that, with a long enough secret key, all of the world's computing power together could not break open a locked document. Encryption is the only reliable protection against surveillance.

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Lessons from Permanent Record can be applied in today's business environment to protect against surveillance by implementing strong encryption methods. As Snowden demonstrated, encryption is a reliable protection against surveillance. Businesses can use encryption to protect sensitive data, ensuring that even if data is intercepted, it cannot be read without the encryption key. Additionally, businesses can adopt a culture of privacy, educating employees about the importance of data security and implementing policies that minimize data exposure.

Permanent Record challenges existing practices in data security and surveillance by highlighting the importance of encryption. The book details how Edward Snowden was able to smuggle out government documents using tiny SD cards and protect them with multiple layers of encryption. The math behind encryption ensures that, with a long enough secret key, all of the world's computing power together could not break open a locked document. This emphasizes that encryption is the only reliable protection against surveillance, challenging traditional methods of data security.

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Turning whistleblower

Snowden knew that the intelligence community would come after him if he chose to stay in the US. He emptied his accounts and flew to Hong Kong to meet the two journalists. As he left, he had a sinking feeling that he would never see his family again. Snowden waited for ten days, holed up in a hotel room for Poitras and Greenwald to arrive. He made copious notes and organized his material to best explain to the journalists the extent of NSA's surveillance. Greenwald and Snowden discussed the details of the NSA's activities, which Poitras recorded on video. On June 5, 2013, the Guardian broke Greenwald's first story on the NSA collecting every call record from Verizon. Poitras ran a story on Washington post about the PRISM program. On June 9, Snowden released a video on the Guardian owning up responsibility for whistleblowing in public interest.

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From Permanent Record, individuals in the field of intelligence can learn the importance of ethical considerations in their work. Snowden's actions highlight the potential for misuse of intelligence and the need for transparency and accountability. They can also understand the personal sacrifices that may come with whistleblowing, as Snowden had to leave his family and country. Furthermore, the book provides insights into the extent of surveillance capabilities, which can be a reminder for intelligence professionals to respect privacy rights while performing their duties.

The book 'Permanent Record' is primarily about Edward Snowden's journey and his exposure of government secrets. It doesn't provide a direct framework for small business growth. However, businesses can learn about the importance of transparency, ethical decision-making, and the potential implications of technology and data privacy. These lessons can be applied to ensure ethical business practices, build trust with customers by respecting their privacy, and understand the potential risks and responsibilities associated with handling customer data.

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Stranded in Russia

The US Government immediately filed an extradition request on Snowden. When the UN turned Snowden's application for asylum, he decided to fly to Ecuador, the country that had given asylum to Julian Assange, hoping for a similar treatment. Assange offered to help Snowden, and Sarah Harrison of Wikileaks flew down to assist him. She procured an emergency refugee travel permit from the Ecuador Embassy and accompanied him on a flight to Ecuador via Russia.

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From Snowden's experiences as described in 'Permanent Record', we can learn several actionable lessons. Firstly, the importance of standing up for what you believe in, even if it means facing severe consequences. Snowden believed in the public's right to know about the government's surveillance activities, and he risked his freedom to expose them. Secondly, the need for careful planning and preparation when taking such significant actions. Snowden had to plan his actions meticulously to avoid immediate capture. Lastly, the value of seeking and accepting help from others. Snowden received assistance from various individuals and organizations, which was crucial in his escape.

The book "Permanent Record" by Edward Snowden is filled with surprising revelations. Some of the most shocking include the extent of the US government's surveillance programs, the lack of oversight and accountability within these programs, and the lengths to which the government will go to protect its secrets. Snowden's personal journey, from a loyal government employee to a whistleblower on the run, is also a surprising and compelling aspect of the book.

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But the 20-hour layover at Russia turned into nearly six years of exile. On landing, Snowden learned that his passport had been revoked by the US State Department when the flight was still mid-air. When he refused to become a Russian informer, he was made to languish in the airport for nearly 40 days. During these days, 27 countries rejected Snowden's appeal for asylum. Finally, the Russian government granted him temporary asylum to bring an end to this ordeal.

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The lessons from Permanent Record can be applied in today's business environment in several ways. Firstly, it emphasizes the importance of data privacy. Businesses should ensure they have robust data protection measures in place to prevent unauthorized access and breaches. Secondly, it highlights the potential consequences of government surveillance. Businesses should be aware of the legal and ethical implications of their data practices. Lastly, it underscores the need for transparency and accountability in business operations.

Companies in traditional sectors like manufacturing or retail can apply the lessons from "Permanent Record" by understanding the importance of data privacy and security. They can implement robust data protection measures to prevent unauthorized access and leaks. Additionally, they can foster a culture of transparency and ethical behavior, emphasizing the importance of protecting customer and employee information. They can also use Snowden's story as a case study to understand the potential consequences of data breaches and the importance of whistleblowing in holding organizations accountable.

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Global impact

Snowden's whistleblowing incited a tremendous public uproar and forced Congress to launch multiple investigations into NSA's abuses. The investigations found that the NSA had consistently lied to Congress on the nature and scope of its surveillance programs. In 2015, the federal court ruled that NSA's program was unconstitutional. The USA Freedom Act was passed to prohibit the bulk collection of American's phone records explicitly. Apple and Google responded by adopting secure encryption on their devices. Websites moved from the insecure HTTP protocol to the encrypted HTTPS standard. The European Union passed the General Data Protection Regulation that provides whistleblower and data privacy protections.

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The principles of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can be applied in today's business environment in several ways. Firstly, businesses can ensure they are transparent about how they collect, use, and store personal data. This includes providing clear privacy policies and obtaining explicit consent from individuals before processing their data. Secondly, businesses can implement data minimization practices, meaning they only collect and retain the necessary amount of personal data for their operations. Thirdly, businesses can prioritize data security by using secure encryption methods and regularly testing their security systems. Lastly, businesses should have procedures in place to respond to data breaches promptly and notify affected individuals.

Permanent Record, by Edward Snowden, has significantly influenced corporate strategies regarding data protection. After Snowden's whistleblowing, companies became more aware of the importance of data privacy. This led to tech giants like Apple and Google adopting secure encryption on their devices. Websites also transitioned from the insecure HTTP protocol to the encrypted HTTPS standard. Furthermore, the European Union passed the General Data Protection Regulation, providing whistleblower and data privacy protections. These changes have made corporations more cautious and proactive in protecting user data.

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Life and work today

Lindsay came to visit Snowden in 2014. A few years later, she moved to Russia, and they got married. Today, Snowden heads the Freedom of Press Foundation, dedicated to empowering public interest journalism through better encryption technologies. The foundation supports Signal, an encrypted text and calling platform, and SecureDrop, a platform for whistleblowers to share files with media houses. Changing the law to adapt to technological shifts takes time. Until then, institutions will try to abuse this gap for their interests. Independent software developers can close this gap by building technologies that support civil liberties. While a legal reform might help only citizens, an encrypted smartphone can help people across the world. Today, Snowden spends his time speaking on civil liberties in the digital age to lawmakers, scholars, students, and technologists worldwide.

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Legal reforms and technological advancements have a significant global impact on civil liberties. Legal reforms can help protect civil liberties by updating laws to reflect the current digital age, ensuring that institutions cannot abuse technological advancements for their interests. On the other hand, technological advancements, such as encryption technologies, can empower individuals by providing them with tools to protect their privacy and freedom of speech. These technologies can have a global impact as they can be used by people worldwide, regardless of their country's legal framework. However, it's important to note that these advancements and reforms can also be a double-edged sword, potentially being used to infringe upon civil liberties if not properly regulated.

Some examples of technologies developed to support civil liberties include Signal and SecureDrop. Signal is an encrypted text and calling platform that ensures private communication between users. SecureDrop, on the other hand, is a platform that allows whistleblowers to securely share files with media houses. These technologies are designed to protect individual privacy and freedom of speech, which are fundamental civil liberties.

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