Anecdotes Quote by Edward Snowden
![“[Barton ] Gellman printed a great anecdote: he showed two Google engineers a slide that showed how the NSA was doing this, and the engineers "exploded in profanity."” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/144/edward-snowden-555_anecdotes_barton-gellman-printed-a-great-anecdote_2686678.jpg)
“[Barton ] Gellman printed a great anecdote: he showed two Google engineers a slide that showed how the NSA was doing this, and the engineers "exploded in profanity."”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Guardian, 2013
The NSA's surveillance methods shocked tech engineers, revealing the gap between government capabilities and public awareness.
In simple terms: Engineers were outraged by NSA tactics.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the power of hidden surveillance.
Themes
privacy
government
technology
ethics
Mood
concerned
critical
Type
cautionary
informative
When to use this quote
- policy debates
- tech industry meetings
- public forums
- media coverage
Key Concepts
surveillance
whistleblowing
trust
Questions to Reflect On
- How should societies balance security and privacy?
- What responsibilities do engineers have when confronting misuse?
A Different Perspective
The NSA may argue national security justifies secrecy.
![“It's interesting that you mention [Andrei] Sakharov's creative axis - he had produced something for the government that he then realized was something other than he intended. That's something [NSA whistleblower] Bill Binney and I share.” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/86d/edward-snowden-555_axes_it-s-interesting-that-you-mention-andrei_2123410.jpg)
![“I think one of the most shocking things is how little our elected officials knew about what the NSA was doing. Congress is learning from the reporting and that's staggering. Snowden and [former NSA employee] William Binney, who's also in the film as a whistleblower from a different generation, are…” quote by Laura Poitras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/779/laura-poitras-22687_congress_i-think-one-of-the-most-shocking-things_1212692.jpg)
![“[Brazil] went to the UN and said, "We need new standards for this." We need to take a look at what they're calling "data sovereignty."” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/af7/edward-snowden-555_brazil_brazil-went-to-the-un-and-said-we-need-n_14906.jpg)
![“There was a real choice when [Barack Obama] became president. It was a very difficult choice - to say, "We're not going to hold senior officials to account with the same laws that every other citizen in the country is held to," or "This is a nation that believes in the rule of law."” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/104/edward-snowden-555_accounts_there-was-a-real-choice-when-barack-obam_27838.jpg)
