WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange hosted a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) session, tackling a number of questions regarding the National Security Agency (NSA), the infamous US government document leaks and how the general public can help in defending whistleblowers such as Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning.
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The AMA saw Assange fielding questions alongside Sarah Harrison, Renata Avila and Andy Müller-Maguhn, who were all representing the Courage Foundation, an organization which runs the official defense funds of whistleblowers. Assange spoke of how he believes the NSA leaks impacted society and its relationship with the government, along with outlining his thoughts on how the public can help protect whistleblowers, and offering his opinion on whether or not the average Joe’s and Jane’s can have any influence on how the government operates in regards to the privacy of its citizens.
It makes for an enlightening read and depressingly highlights how little progress has been made, even after the Snowden and Manning leaks. Take a look at the highlights of the sessin below:
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On Edward Snowden’s interview on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver…
“Great to see Oliver making it real – though I felt great sympathy for Edward having to go through that. Public commentators are obsessed with influencing the public, but the reality is the US public isn’t going to solve this. A powerful, invisible, intangible, complex, global system, with a scale only the deeply numerate can appreciate has been erected. Until we see the bulk release of individual’s emails or SMS messages, the average person isn’t going to believe it’s real. Until then, the push back is going to come from technical organisations and other state’s counter intelligence units.”
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On how the public can help whistleblowers…
“If you’re a good system admin, programmer, writer or lawyer, you can volunteer (if you’re serious and dedicated). Otherwise you can encourage others to donate and spread the word either in a systematic fashion or at moments of opportunity (push these issues to influential people). We are starting to get some traction at the UN and EU level, although the 5-eyes countries are a wasteland.”
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On whether the government should be completely transparent with its public…
“Particular government departments have the responsibility to keep some information secret for a limited period of time in order to ffulfill their public mission, for example, the massive FBI investigation of legal violations at the NSA (ha). However the primary responsibility of international publishers of last resort (i.e WikiLeaks) is [to] publish fearlessly and not to cover up for the incompetence or malign behavior of other actors in international society.”
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On whether his work with WikiLeaks will change the government or society as a whole…
“These are cascading effects with geometric amplifiers in both directions. It’s hard to say, but at least we can say we fought and gave people a choice to know themselves and their civilization.”
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On how the public can influence the government to stop breaching the privacy of its citizens…
“Nothing. There’s nothing you can do. As soon as you do something you’ll no-longer be average. Do that. Don’t be average. There’s a few really efficient organizations working in this area or projects that promise vast economies of scale. So small contributions can make a big difference. Support them financially, or with your skills.”
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On how to change the mentality of people who aren’t concerned by government surveillance…
“There is no killer answer yet. Jacob Appelbaum has a clever response, asking people who say this to then hand him their phone unlocked and pull down their pants. My version of that is to say, “well, you’re so boring then we shouldn’t be talking to you, and neither should anyone else”, but philosophically, the real answer is this: Mass surveillance is a mass structural change. When society goes goes bad, its going to take you with it, even if you are the blandest person on earth.”
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On Edward Snowden and the impact the leaks will have on the rest of his life…
“As long as there is an NSA and it is a significant part of the US deep state, Edward is not going to be safe in the US or in the territories of its allies.”
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On how Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning have affected other potential whistleblowers…
“Edward Snowden has said that he was inspired by Chelsea Manning. The US government wanted to publicly destroy Manning, in a grotesque way, as a warning. They did not succeed but I realised we can do even better! This is part of the reason why we put a lot of resources and risk into getting Edward Snowden asylum. He is now mostly free, living a fulfilling life of respect, an inspirational symbol for whistleblowers world wide and not a general deterrent suffering in a US prison unable to defend himself or promote his cause in public.”
Photo: Getty Images
