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Creating Quote by Edward Snowden

“When I was working in Japan, I created a system for ensuring that intelligence data was globally recoverable in the event of a disaster. I was not aware of the scope of mass surveillance. I came across some legal questions when I was creating it. My superiors pushed back and were like, "Well, how…” quote by Edward Snowden
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“When I was working in Japan, I created a system for ensuring that intelligence data was globally recoverable in the event of a disaster. I was not aware of the scope of mass surveillance. I came across some legal questions when I was creating it. My superiors pushed back and were like, "Well, how are we going to deal with this data?" And I was like, "I didn't even know it existed."”

Edward Snowden

About This Quote

Source Speech: Interview with The Guardian, 2013

He realized that data recovery systems can unintentionally expose surveillance capabilities, highlighting oversight gaps.

In simple terms: Data systems can reveal hidden surveillance.

Key Takeaway

Check for privacy risks when designing recovery tools.

Themes

privacy surveillance ethics risk management

Mood

concerned reflective

Type

cautionary informative

When to use this quote

  • disaster recovery planning
  • IT infrastructure design
  • policy development
  • risk assessment

Key Concepts

data governance legal compliance security transparency

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can organizations audit data systems for hidden surveillance?
  • What safeguards prevent misuse of recovery data?
A Different Perspective

Overlooked privacy implications can cause legal and ethical issues.

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