NSA files: why the Guardian in London destroyed hard drives of leaked files
A
threat of legal action by the government that could have stopped
reporting on the files leaked by Edward Snowden led to a symbolic act at
the Guardian's offices in London
The remains of a computer that held files leaked by Edward Snowden to
the Guardian and destroyed at the behest of the UK government.
Photograph: Roger Tooth
Beta
-
- The Guardian, Tuesday 20 August 2013 13.23 EDT
Guardian
editors on Tuesday revealed why and how the newspaper destroyed
computer hard drives containing copies of some of the secret files
leaked by
Edward Snowden.
The
decision was taken after a threat of legal action by the government
that could have stopped reporting on the extent of American and British
government
surveillance revealed by the documents.
It
resulted in one of the stranger episodes in the history of digital-age
journalism. On Saturday 20 July, in a deserted basement of
the Guardian's
King's Cross offices, a senior editor and a Guardian computer expert
used angle grinders and other tools to pulverise the hard drives and
memory chips on which the encrypted files had been stored.
As they worked they were watched by technicians from Government Communications Headquarters () who took notes and photographs, but who left empty-handed.
The
editor of the Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, had earlier informed
government officials that other copies of the files existed outside the
country and that the Guardian was neither the sole recipient nor steward
of the files leaked by Snowden, a former National Security Agency (
NSA) contractor. But the government insisted that the material be either destroyed or surrendered.
Twelve days after the destruction of the files the Guardian reported on
US funding of GCHQ eavesdropping operations and published
a portrait of working life
in the British agency's huge "doughnut" building in Cheltenham.
Guardian US, based and edited in New York, has also continued to report
on evidence of
co-operation with US telecommunications corporations to maximise the
collection of data on internet and phone users around the world.
The British government has attempted to step up its pressure on journalists, with
the detention in Heathrow on Sunday of David Miranda, the partner of Glenn Greenwald, who has led the Guardian's US reporting on the files.
Miranda was detained for nine hours under a section of legislation enacted in 2000 aimed at terrorists.
The use of this measure
– which applies only to airports and ports – meant the normal
protection for suspects in the UK, including journalists, did not
apply.
The initial UK attempts to stop reporting on the files came two weeks after
the publication of the first story
based on Snowden's leaks, about a secret US court order obliging the
communications corporation Verizon to hand over data on its customers'
phone usage. This was followed
by a story detailing how GCHQ was making use of data collected by the 's internet monitoring programme, .
Days later the paper published another story revealing how
UK intelligence spied on British allies at two London summits.
Shortly
afterwards two senior British officials arrived at the Guardian's
offices to see Rusbridger and his deputy, Paul Johnson. They were
cordial but made it clear they came on high authority to demand the
immediate surrender of all the Snowden files in the Guardian's
possession.
They argued that the material was stolen and that a
newspaper had no business holding on to it. The Official Secrets Act was
mentioned but not threatened. At this stage officials emphasised they
preferred a low-key route rather than go to court.
The Guardian
editors argued that there was a substantial public interest in the
hitherto unknown scale of government surveillance and the collaboration
with technology and telecoms companies, particularly given the apparent
weakness of parliamentary and judicial oversight.
There was no written threat of any legal moves.
After three weeks which saw the publication of several more articles on both sides of the Atlantic about and internet and phone surveillance, British government officials got back in touch and took a sterner approach.
"You've had your fun. Now we want the stuff back," one of them said.
Read More and Watch Video Here
*******************************************************
British government forces the Guardian to destroy Snowden files
RTAmerica
Published on Aug 20, 2013
The
British government has given the Guardian newspaper an ultimatum:
delete all data on Edward Snowden's leaks or risk getting shut down. A
few months ago, Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald revealed the NSA's
massive surveillance program through the media outlet and now many see
the government's move as retaliation for the leaks. Alan Rusbridger,
editor for the Guardian, justified why they chose to comply with the
government's request, and Josh Levy, Internet campaign director for Free
Press, joins us with his take on the British government's request.
*******************************************************
Guardian editor on Miranda detention: ‘Terror and journalism being aligned’
Published time: August 21, 2013 03:02
Edited time: August 21, 2013 08:54
>
Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger.(Reuters / Andrew Winning)
The
UK government created a “lawless bit of Britain” under the terror act
which suspends all checks and balances, Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger
said in an interview, adding that the paper is financing David Miranda's
lawsuit against the Home Office.
Rusbridger called ports and airport transit lounges a
“stateless bit of Britain,” where a government can use the word
“terror” to
“suspend all the normal rules.”
<i>&lt;i&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/i&gt;</i>
The
comment was made in reference to UK authorities detaining and
questioning David Miranda, the partner of Guardian journalist Glenn
Greenwald, for nine hours in London’s Heathrow airport on Sunday under
Schedule 7 of the UK’s anti-terrorism law.
Miranda told the BBC in an interview that he felt threatened during his 9-hour detention and as if
“he were naked in front of a crowd.”
Greewald’s partner said that he was
“forced to give passwords” to email and social media accounts to his interrogators. Authorities allegedly threatened him with prison if he did not comply.
Inside Britain, journalists and anyone else carrying material have more opportunities to stand their ground.
“You can go before a judge, you can argue about public interest and the public interest of that work,” Rusbridger said.
David
Miranda (L) -- the Brazilian partner of Glenn Greenwald, a US
journalist with Britain's Guardian newspaper who worked with
intelligence leaker Edward Snowden to expose US mass surveillance
programmes -- is pictured at Rio de Janeiro's Tom Jobim international
airport upon his arrival on August 19, 2013.(AFP Photo / Marcelo Piu)
“The
disturbing thing about the way they treated Miranda was the use of this
terror act, and there is a little noticed section there, Schedule 7,
which effectively suspends all the normal checks and balances that you
would have if you were arrested in the Heathrow car park,” he added.
Rusbridger believes there are
“confusions in law” when it comes to where you are when you’re in a transit lounge and
“whose laws you apply to.”
The UK created this
“lawless bit of Britain” over a decade ago, according to the editor. It is a place
“where
anybody can be questioned for up to nine hours without access to a
solicitor and where all your belongings can be confiscated and there’s
nothing you can do about it,” he said.
Financing Miranda’s lawsuit
Rusbridger revealed that the Guardian is funding Miranda’s
legal actions
as he seeks a judicial review of the legal basis for his detention and
assurances that the property seized from him by police will not be
examined.
“The Guardian is supporting that action and we are
supporting that in terms of financing it, because David Miranda was
acting on behalf of Glenn Greenwald at the time that he was detained. I
think it’s a good thing to challenge that law and see exactly why terror
and journalism are being aligned in this disturbing way.”
U.S.
journalist Glenn Greenwald (L) walks with his partner David Miranda in
Rio de Janeiro's International Airport August 19, 2013. (Reuters /
Ricardo Moraes)
“Miranda wasn’t really on
assignment, he is Glenn Greenwald’s partner and Glenn Greenwald is a
very busy man and he assists Glenn in his journalistic work. And he was
acting as a messenger or intermediary in a way that is difficult for
Glenn at the moment because he’s got a lot of work to be doing in Brazil
and I think he’s also a bit nervous about traveling at the moment.”
'Snowden data destruction won't harm our reporting' - Guardian's Alan Rusbridger
RussiaToday
Published on Aug 20, 2013
The
British government's attempts to stem the tide of articles on mass
surveillance have gone beyond intimidating the journalist behind the
publications. Just a day after Glenn Greenwald's partner was detained at
Heathrow airport, The Guardian's editor, Alan Rusbridger, came forward
describing how the authorities pressured the newspaper to destroy
documents provided by NSA leaker Edward Snowden. Mr. Rusbridger has
explained why he gave in to pressure from government agents, and
destroyed hard-drives carrying information obtained from Edward Snowden.
RT LIVE
http://rt.com/on-air
*******************************************************
