Thursday, December 29, 2016

[33c3 TLDR] A Tale of Two Skype Calls

Earlier today we had two great talks focusing on the aftermath of the Snowden revelations:
- 3 Years After Snowden: Is Germany fighting State Surveillance?
- The Untold Story of Edward Snowden’s Escape from Hong Kong

First of all a chilling report on the state of the German surveillance machine detailing how the German intelligence agencies have gotten more money, more capabilities (under the law) and are processing more data. Often without good supervision. It is only because of Germany's attempt at an inquiry, which the two speaking journalists recorded, that we know some of the details of the mass surveillance apparatus.

At the end, instead of the regular Q&A, key witness #1 came and joined us over Skype: Edward Snowden.

Takeaway: things are getting worse, not better and we need to do more to combat this.

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Second, a talk detailing the story of the people that kept the very same Edward Snowden safe during his stay as a refugee in Hong Kong, detailing their particular brand of self-sacrifice. Being refugees in Hong Kong, they are forced to live in squalor without rights. Government support was stripped away once their identities were known. These people, these guardian angels, now subsist on the donation efforts of third parties. Further attempts are being made to get these 7 people out of the country and to a safer place.

For the Q&A, Vanessa, one of the people that helped Snowden, skyped in and answered some of the questions pertaining to her recollection of the events as well as her current status.

Takeaway: the seven refugees that helped Edward Snowden stay hidden during his stay in Hong Kong need assistance. If you want to you can donate at the following places:
https://fundrazr.com/snowdensguardians
https://www.gofundme.com/snowdenguardians

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