Snowden: I couldn’t trust Microsoft so I used free software like Tor, Tails and Debian

[Batu69]

 

At the Free Software Foundation's LibrePlanet 2016 conference, Edward Snowden credited free software with enabling him to blow the whistle about government surveillance. Speaking via video link from Russia, the former NSA contractor said that "what happened in 2013 couldn't have happened without free software".

 

But as well as indicating his preference for free, open source software, Snowden revealed that he refused to use Microsoft software because he "couldn't be sure" that there weren't backdoors built in.

 

He said that the transparency made possible by the open source movement helped people to take control of their privacy and security. He went on to praise Apple for the stance it was taking in fighting the FBI but said that tech companies in general were not doing enough to ensure users' privacy. A case in point was the willingness of many of the big names to hand over data to the government when asked.

 

As well as privacy, Snowden used his speech to highlight the security offered by open source software, taking a swipe at one of the biggest names in tech:

Quote

I didn't use Microsoft machines when I was in my operational phase, because I couldn't trust them. Not because I knew that there was a particular back door or anything like that, but because I couldn't be sure.

 

Snowden is a man famously concerned with the security of software, and highlighted the need not only for the use of encryption, but also for security vulnerabilities to be patched as quickly as possible.

Quote

It's not just a question of stable. Stable is important but increasingly, due to the pace of adversary offensive research [being] so fast, if our update cycles are not at least relevant to the attack speed, then we're actually endangering people.

 

You can watch the full keynote over on LibrePlanet.

 

Article source

[humble3d]

So, If msft cannot do away with free software, will google help them do so ??

[pc71520]

Quote

Snowden: I couldn’t trust Microsoft so I used free software like Tor, Tails and Debian.

I wouldn't expect anything less. 

[Holmes]

If we shouldnt trust microsoft (Im not saying we should or we shouldnt) and if there indeed untrustworthy and microsoft products are indeed backdoored then users relying on windows firewall and windows firewall control  have a false sense of security.  I use comodo firewall and have always thought if windows is backdoored or onedrive is then microsoft's windows firewall is backkdoored to and we might as well throw in bitlocker to.  You cant go conspiracy theory crazy and not include windows firewall and bitlocker to.  For those that use windows firewall whether in windows xp service pack two windows vista windows seven windows eight or windows ten I would choose a different firewall.  When I get to trying linux Im going to be using IPtables there are IPTables for windows its not as good as iptables for linux Im predicting.

[Sylence]

Snowden you've done a great job by revealing NSA's plans but.. he thinks he knows everything. Snowden didn't trust Microsoft OS because he couldn't prove the OS is backdoor-free nor could he prove it isn't. maybe this is way out of his league or he doesn't possess enough knowledge and information for this task; which is fairly reasonable to think about.

In a nutshell, It's just as baseless as other things being said about this OS on the net without any proof, unless proven otherwise.

I myself like to find any serious reason to leave Windows 10 but when the system administrator of NSA can't find anything about it then better lower your expectations from others to find anything against it...just sayin 

[Holmes]

They call that making assumptions and assumptions usually happen if they lack the knowledge to prove something without a doubt and thats what ninety percent of the negative windows ten hype about data collection and personal information is about.

[luisam]

"Snowden: I couldn’t trust Microsoft so I used free software like Tor, Tails and Debian"

Well, I don't trust Snowden! A funny situation: this spy fellow reveals some classified material and  goes with his protest agains US Gov, among all countries around the world, to RUSSIA, ruled by this Ex-KGB direcive who manages to restrict day by day civil rights, specially the right to express dissidency and to protest.

 

Similarly, I don't trust this Wikileaks guy claiming for his rights to free expresson, asylee in the Ecuatorian Embassy, a country where President Correa is stamping on freedom of expresson of the media and the press. Is Assange making us a favor with his Wikileaks? No, it's just his way to do BUSINESS!

 

Now, actually, I have no problem with MS products. I never have payed a penny for any MS product so I really don't have any moral right to protest against MS.

[steven36]

4 hours ago, luisam said:

Well, I don't trust Snowden! A funny situation: this spy fellow reveals some classified material and  goes with his protest agains US Gov, among all countries around the world, to RUSSIA, ruled by this Ex-KGB direcive who manages to restrict day by day civil rights, specially the right to express dissidency and to protest.

 

Similarly, I don't trust this Wikileaks guy claiming for his rights to free expresson, asylee in the Ecuatorian Embassy, a country where President Correa is stamping on freedom of expresson of the media and the press. Is Assange making us a favor? No, it's just his way to do BUSINESS!

 

Now, actually, I have no problem with MS products. I never have payed a penny for any MS product so I really don't have any moral right to protest against MS

I got to agree with you ,  while I respect Snowden  I dont trust him  at all. Ive used windows since 2001 and i never had any trouble  at all . Also I use Linux O/S too If i  had leaked state secrets  like  he did i would be paranoid too. Id fear for my life,  but if were been me i would never leaked them  I'm not a snitch not everyone in this world is  you're friend  so that's just being reckless you should not trust people  you dont know.  he gave up his life and high paying job for what 5 minutes of fame ? If they ever catch him will have  to serve prison time if not something worse , and people will forget about him,  just like they forgot about all the others that snitched about the NSA before him .

 

He stirred up a hornet's nest  . He opened up every ones eyes to the fact  tech can be used for evil and  its caused hackers to get worse .Also its causing countries  to pass laws to legalize backdoors . Now instead hiding the fact they do it ..there making it legal  hes made things much worse than ever before. The NSA  and FBI will keep on doing what there paid too  do . If you do as Snowden you may end up living in Exile in Russia  the rest of you're life or you could end up in jail or worse  . He should be and example of someone you dont want to be like  .

 

He said to use Tails but  they say if you use Tails it puts you  NSA's  hit list  ,  Many people who use the Darknet got baited by the FBI and NSA too and are serving prison time,

A lot things  he says do i want do them . What I do to protect my privacy  I did before Snowden  ever leaked all that.  It shows most people dont have no conman sense to do stuff on there own. that they need  a double agent spy  too give them advice on privacy. And even the ones that cheer for him most never listen to him they  never change the  way they do things . They are all talk and never do anything .   Snowden may have worked for the KGB all  along .

[jamesDDI]

4 hours ago, luisam said:

"Snowden: I couldn’t trust Microsoft so I used free software like Tor, Tails and Debian"

Well, I don't trust Snowden! A funny situation: this spy fellow reveals some classified material and  goes with his protest agains US Gov, among all countries around the world, to RUSSIA, ruled by this Ex-KGB direcive who manages to restrict day by day civil rights, specially the right to express dissidency and to protest.

 

Similarly, I don't trust this Wikileaks guy claiming for his rights to free expresson, asylee in the Ecuatorian Embassy, a country where President Correa is stamping on freedom of expresson of the media and the press. Is Assange making us a favor with his Wikileaks? No, it's just his way to do BUSINESS!

 

Now, actually, I have no problem with MS products. I never have payed a penny for any MS product so I really don't have any moral right to protest against MS.

 

[CODYQX4]

5 hours ago, luisam said:

"Snowden: I couldn’t trust Microsoft so I used free software like Tor, Tails and Debian"

Well, I don't trust Snowden! A funny situation: this spy fellow reveals some classified material and  goes with his protest agains US Gov, among all countries around the world, to RUSSIA, ruled by this Ex-KGB direcive who manages to restrict day by day civil rights, specially the right to express dissidency and to protest.

 

Similarly, I don't trust this Wikileaks guy claiming for his rights to free expresson, asylee in the Ecuatorian Embassy, a country where President Correa is stamping on freedom of expresson of the media and the press. Is Assange making us a favor with his Wikileaks? No, it's just his way to do BUSINESS!

 

Now, actually, I have no problem with MS products. I never have payed a penny for any MS product so I really don't have any moral right to protest against MS.

[steven36]

1. There's like 3.17 billion people  on the internet

http://www.statista.com/statistics/273018/number-of-internet-users-worldwide/

2. there's a survey that says 700 million people  are taking steps to avoid NSA surveillance.

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2014/12/over_700_millio.html

3.  This means there's  2 billion four hundred seventy million  that dont care or are act like they do and dont , even if a 100 more million is doing something about its by now still a low number compared to the masses.

 

4 . The Next  time you fuss about Microsoft  and Others ask yourself What kind of O/S do you use , what browser do you use , what kind of phone do you use?

 

5.  Because Proprietary Surveillance is nothing new really here's  a whole list about it.

http://www.gnu.org/proprietary/proprietary-surveillance.en.htm

 

6. I say out 700 million they are many  who just are half doing things  as crazy as Snowden  did , most of you are on Windows , Google Chrome and a smart  phone cheering on Snowden   but you set there and dont do  fudge all about it ,witch makes me question , if you cared about you're privacy why dont you do anything different? 

 

 

 

[Sylence]

19 hours ago, luisam said:

"Snowden: I couldn’t trust Microsoft so I used free software like Tor, Tails and Debian"

Well, I don't trust Snowden! A funny situation: this spy fellow reveals some classified material and  goes with his protest agains US Gov, among all countries around the world, to RUSSIA, ruled by this Ex-KGB direcive who manages to restrict day by day civil rights, specially the right to express dissidency and to protest.

 

Similarly, I don't trust this Wikileaks guy claiming for his rights to free expresson, asylee in the Ecuatorian Embassy, a country where President Correa is stamping on freedom of expresson of the media and the press. Is Assange making us a favor with his Wikileaks? No, it's just his way to do BUSINESS!

 

Now, actually, I have no problem with MS products. I never have payed a penny for any MS product so I really don't have any moral right to protest against MS.

 

He actually went to Hong Kong first, then Russia. by the way, the fact that that country is ruled by an Ex-KGB isn't something new, many countries are like that. there are also many others that work the other way, take U.S for example, there's a puppet named you-know-who and there's a puppeteer named AIPAC, if you don't trust me, ask Trump))

 

 

[steven36]

Ex KGB ?   Most of what they done is still kept secret .

 

Quote

A popular assumption in society is that parts of the records are kept secret because they contain material that might embarrass influential individuals still enjoying a degree of prominence today.

http://www.lsm.lv/en/article/societ/society/kgb-study-commission-still-kept-away-from-archives.a174565/

 

Many  that were in the KGB are the ones  in  office and they hide the bad things  they done from the public.

 

They still have Nation spies  instead  of being called  KGB  there called the FSB

FSB: Vladimir Putin's immensely powerful modern-day KGB

Quote

With Putin as PM and then president, much of the FSB's power was restored. Many of his former KGB colleagues ended up in senior positions in government or at the helm of state-controlled companies. Lower down the chain of command, a blind eye was turned to FSB generals enriching themselves: it was no longer necessary to leave to earn a good living. One top officer complained that the secret service "warriors" had become "traders".

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/06/fsb-putins-modern-day-kgb

 

So they went from having the KGB to being ran by the KGB and  brought it back with a different  name .   Thats  like the FBI  was called the BOI 1908-1935 then they changed it to FBI  its still the same thing regardless  of the name its called .

 

NSA  1st name  they was the  Cipher Bureau and Military Intelligence Branch (MI-8)  then the CCC  (Code Compilation Company) then the SSA then , Then the AFSA, Then

Quote

The origins of the National Security Agency can be traced back to April 28, 1917, three weeks after the U.S. Congress declared war on Germany in World War I. A code and cipher decryption unit was established as the Cable and Telegraph Section which was also known as the Cipher Bureau and Military Intelligence Branch, Section 8 (MI-8). It was headquartered in Washington, D.C. and was part of the war effort under the executive branch without direct Congressional authorization. During the course of the war it was relocated in the army's organizational chart several times. On July 5, 1917, Herbert O. Yardley was assigned to head the unit. At that point, the unit consisted of Yardley and two civilian clerks. It absorbed the navy's cryptoanalysis functions in July 1918. World War I ended on November 11, 1918, and MI-8 moved to New York City on May 20, 1919, where it continued intelligence activities as the Code Compilation Company under the direction of Yardley.

It became the name NSA in 1951 under President Harry S. Truman  the only person too ever launch and attack with the ABomb

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Agency#History

 

So what we call the NSA has been breaking encryption since 1917  they been doing it for 99 years