Newly revealed information about the Snowden documents has shed some light on the current status of these highly controversial files. Ewen MacAskill, the former Guardian editor who shared the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for his work on the Snowden files, has stated that a copy of the documents is still locked in the New York Times office. However, The Guardian retains responsibility for them. This raises the question of why the New York Times has not published them in over a decade. MacAskill believes that there is a case to be made for keeping them for future generations of historians.
One of the reasons that only 1% of the Snowden archive has been published by journalists is the diminishing interest in the topic. With such a massive amount of documents, even 1% still amounts to a significant number. However, this raises concerns about the potential information that has been left out and not made available to the public. It also brings attention to the fact that there may be additional revelations that have not been shared.
Interestingly, Computer Weekly has released three revelations from the Snowden archive that were not previously published by The Guardian. These revelations include the NSA listing Cavium, an American semiconductor company, as a successful example of a “SIGINT-enabled” CPU supplier. Cavium, now owned by Marvell, denies implementing back doors for any government. The NSA also compromised lawful Russian interception infrastructure, known as SORM, and the archive contains slides showing Russian officers wearing jackets with a slogan reading “You talk, we listen.” Additionally, the NSA listed the Tibetan government in exile as a target of its mass-surveillance program, PRISM.
These new pieces of information come from Jake Appelbaum’s Ph.D. thesis, providing further insights into the extent of the NSA’s surveillance activities. It is important to note that these revelations were not included in the initial release of the Snowden documents, raising questions about the selection process and the information that has been withheld.
In conclusion, the latest information regarding the Snowden documents highlights the continued interest and responsibility that news organizations have in handling and publishing these files. The fact that only 1% of the archive has been released so far, coupled with the recent revelations from Computer Weekly, raises concerns about the full extent of the information that has yet to be made public. These documents hold significant implications for privacy and surveillance, making it crucial for future generations of historians and the public to have access to them.