Last week, Edward Snowden gave his testimony to the European Parliament about the electronic mass surveillance of European Union citizens. Snowden accused the United States, which do not protect the public from real threats, but destroy the character of its open communication. His testimony stated:
The comprehensive surveillance of Americans at home by the US government failed to stop the Boston bombers. Even though the Russians warned us about Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the FBI could not do more than a cursory investigation – although for several years they have conducted many useless computer-based searches – and they failed to identify the perpetrator. 264 people were injured and 3 lost their lives. The resources that could have funded a comprehensive investigation were spent on monitoring each individual's call records in America.
This should not have happened. I worked for the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States. The National Security Agency. The Defense Intelligence Agency. I love my country, and I believe that espionage serves a vital purpose and must continue. I have risked my life, my family and my freedom to tell you the truth.
The NSA granted me the authority to monitor communications worldwide using mass surveillance systems. I did so even within the United States. Personally, I have monitored individuals using these systems, under the presidential order “Executive Order 12333 and US Congress FAA 702. I know the pros and cons of these systems, what they can and cannot do, and I tell you that without even getting up from my chair, I could have read the private communications of any member of this committee, as well as any ordinary citizen. I swear, knowing the penalty for perjury, that all of this is true.
These are not characteristics of free societies. Mass surveillance violates our rights, endangers our security, and threatens our way of life.
The entire letter is available here in PDF format.
