Questions Raised About the Tactics Used By Edward Snowden to Inform the NSA

Edward Snowden made a greater effort than originally believed to raise his concerns within the NSA before releasing thousands of classified documents detailing programs that allowed the agency to spy on U.S. citizens. The truth is more complex than the NSA let on, according to Vice News, which reported on documents it secured through two years of Freedom of Information Act litigation. In the aftermath of Snowden's release of a cache of stolen NSA documents, he claimed that he had exhausted all official avenues available to him before going public. "I had reported these clearly problematic programs to more than 10 distinct officials, none of whom took any action to address them," he said in testimony before the European Parliament in March 2014. However, the NSA maintained then and still maintains that it could find only one email message from Snowden that touched on the subject. Snowden did much more than send a single email warning, Vice found.
He had an in-person interaction with one of the people who responded to his email, for example. The NSA, the administration and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., all made efforts to discredit him, the  FOIA documents revealed. Snowden stated "There is a general culture of suppressing dissent in these institutions. Whistle-blowers are needed because there's a lack of oversight and accountability -- particularly of intelligence agencies." Where does the US draw the line between legal and illegal release of sensitive materials obtained under FOIA? Share your assessment with the Cloud and Cyber Security Center.