US whistleblower Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize



Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who exposed America’s worldwide espionage activities in May, has been nominated for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.


Stefan Svallfors, professor of sociology at Umea University in Sweden, in an open letter to the Norwegian parliament, nominated the American whistleblower who revealed the existence and extent of the surveillance by the US government worldwide.

“By putting light on this monitoring program - conducted in contravention of national laws and international agreements - Edward Snowden has helped to make the world a little bit better and safer…. He has also shown that individuals can stand up for fundamental rights and freedoms,” said the academic.

Svallfors highlighted the 30-year-old Snowden’s “heroic effort at great personal expense” when he leaked US surveillance operations.

“This example is important because since the Nuremberg trials in 1945, it has been clear that the slogan ‘I was just following orders’ is never claimed as an excuse for acts contrary to human rights and freedoms,” said Svallfors.

Snowden leaked information on massive surveillance programs by the NSA, including a major program known as PRISM used for tracking the use of US-based web servers by Americans and other nationals.

He also revealed additional documents showing that Washington spied on European Union offices, European citizens as well as companies and individuals in Latin America.

The sociology professor went on to urge the Nobel Committee to consider awarding the prize to Snowden.

“It would show its willingness to stand up in defense of civil liberties and human rights, even when such a defense be viewed with disfavor by the world's dominant military power,” Svallfors concluded.

The Nobel Peace Prize was created by the efforts of the Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel in 1901, and is awarded annually to the person or group that has “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/15/313946/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-peace...

Barry Obama got one and he hasn't stopped aiding and abetting in the slaughter of thousands of men, women and children ever since.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/biztech/yahoo-fights-to-reveal-government-spyi...

Yahoo fights to reveal government spying
by: TAMI ABDOLLAHAssociated Press
From: AP
July 16, 2013 11:56AM




YAHOO! has won a court fight that could help the public learn more about the government's efforts to obtain data from Internet users. Source: news.com.au
YAHOO! has won a court fight that could help the public learn more about the government's efforts to obtain data from Internet users.

The U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which reviews government requests to spy on individuals, ruled Monday that information should be made public about a 2008 case that ordered Yahoo Inc. to turn over customer data.
The order requires the government to review which portions of the opinion, briefs and arguments can be declassified and report back to the court by July 29.
The government sought the information from Yahoo under the National Security Agency's PRISM data-gathering program. Details of the secret program were disclosed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who has fled the U.S.
The program came to light in early June after The Washington Post and Guardian newspapers published documents provided by Snowden. It allows the NSA to reach into the data streams of U.S. companies such as Yahoo, Facebook, Microsoft, Google and others, and grab emails, video chats, pictures and more. U.S. officials have said the program is narrowly focused on foreign targets, and technology companies say they turn over information only if required by court order.
Yahoo requested in court papers filed June 14 to have the information about the 2008 case unsealed. A Yahoo spokeswoman hailed Monday's decision and said the company believes it will help inform public discussion about the US government's surveillance programs.
The government hasn't taken a position on whether details of the case should be published as long as it's allowed to review the documents before publication in order to redact classified information, according to the court order.
Mark Rumold, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation specializing in electronic surveillance and national security issues, called the ruling incremental and said he was reserving judgment until the case details are actually released.
"It remains to be seen how forthcoming (the government) will be," Rumold said. "The administration has said they want a debate about the propriety of the surveillance, but they haven't really provided information to inform that debate. So declassifying these opinions is a very important place to start."
The unsealing of such secret rulings is not unprecedented, but it is rare. The last time that happened, Rumold said, was in 2002, in a case regarding the Patriot Act.

it_is_the_light wrote on Jul 16^th, 2013 at 7:37pm:



Good find Light.