--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're now more than a year since my NSA…" description: "\"We're now more than a year since my NSA revelations, and despite numerous hours of testimony before Congress, despite tons of off-the-record quotes fro..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/edward-snowden-555_cases_we-re-now-more-than-a-year-since-my-nsa_1917673.jpg" --- # We're now more than a year since my NSA revelations, and… ![“We're now more than a year since my NSA revelations, and despite numerous hours of testimony before Congress, despite tons of off-the-record quotes from anonymous officials who have an ax to grind, not a single US official, not a single representative of the United States government, has ever…” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/edward-snowden-555_cases_we-re-now-more-than-a-year-since-my-nsa_1917673.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/edward-snowden-555_cases_we-re-now-more-than-a-year-since-my-nsa_1917673.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/edward-snowden-555_cases_we-re-now-more-than-a-year-since-my-nsa_1917673.jpg) > “We're now more than a year since my NSA revelations, and despite numerous hours of testimony before Congress, despite tons of off-the-record quotes from anonymous officials who have an ax to grind, not a single US official, not a single representative of the United States government, has ever pointed to a single case of individualized harm caused by these revelations. This, despite the fact that former NSA director Keith Alexander said this would cause grave and irrevocable harm to the nation.” [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker claims no concrete evidence of personal damage from NSA leaks despite warnings of severe harm. **In simple terms:** No proof of individual harm despite warnings. Key Takeaway Demand evidence before accepting alarmist claims. Themes privacy government accountability security media public trust Mood skeptical critical concerned Type analytical explanatory political When to use this quote - journalistic reporting - legal analysis - public policy discussions - academic research Key Concepts surveillance whistleblowing risk assessment policy debate Questions to Reflect On - What evidence would satisfy you of harm? - How should policymakers balance security and privacy? A Different Perspective The claim may overlook unreported or indirect harms that are hard to quantify. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) [Despite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despite/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Fact Nsa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact-nsa-1199443/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Former](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/former/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graves/) [Grind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grind/) [Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harm/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Individualized Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individualized-harm-2926083/) [Irrevocable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrevocable/) [Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keith/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Nsa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nsa/) [Nsa Director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nsa-director-2512104/) [Nsa Revelations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nsa-revelations-1739647/) [Officials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/officials/) [Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records/) [Representatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representatives/) [Revelations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelations/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [State government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-government/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Testimony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/testimony/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [United states government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states-government/) [Year Nsa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/year-nsa-2926084/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [ulturally, we are definitely seeing people being to ask hard questions. There's been a major shift over the last year. The NSA revelations played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/ulturally-we-are-definitely-seeing-people-being-to-ask-hard-questions/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [No NSA director did as much damage to the agency as Gen. Michael V. Hayden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/no-nsa-director-did-as-much-damage-to-the-agency-as-gen-michael-v/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [It’s just simply the fact that the NSA does not think anybody should be able to communicate anywhere on the Earth without them being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-just-simply-the-fact-that-the-nsa-does-not-think-anybody-should/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [There are a lot of things that I really question - the legality of the drone strikes, these NSA revelations. Jimmy Carter came out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/there-are-a-lot-of-things-that-i-really-question-the-legality-of-the/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [A big factor is that the enthusiast camp's values are really rooted in Silicon Valley and in these supposedly new business models. But again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/a-big-factor-is-that-the-enthusiast-camp-s-values-are-really-rooted/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [The United States Government has placed me on no-fly lists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-united-states-government-has-placed-me-on-no-fly-lists/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Let's put it this way. The United States government has assembled a massive investigation team into me personally, into my work with the journalists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/let-s-put-it-this-way-the-united-states-government-has-assembled-a/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [I have had many opportunities to flee HK, but I would rather stay and fight the United States government in the courts, because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-have-had-many-opportunities-to-flee-hk-but-i-would-rather-stay-and/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Some people think the Federal Reserve Banks are United States Government Institutions. They are private credit monopolies which prey upon the people of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-thomas-mcfadden/some-people-think-the-federal-reserve-banks-are-united-states/) [Louis Thomas McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-thomas-mcfadden/) > [If you need to put your money in a safe and secure place and you want it to earn interest, Treasury bonds are safer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/if-you-need-to-put-your-money-in-a-safe-and-secure-place-and-you-want/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [“In three years of backbreaking studies that, according to Madison , "exacted perhaps the most severe of Jefferson's public labors," Jefferson had almost single-handedly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-sterne-randall/in-three-years-of-backbreaking-studies-that-according-to-madison/) [Willard Sterne Randall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-sterne-randall/) > [The idea that the United States government would have to figure out what to do about the headscarf is simply ludicrous. We don't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-l-eck/the-idea-that-the-united-states-government-would-have-to-figure-out/) [Diana L. Eck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-l-eck/) > [ The biggest threat to the American people today lies with the United States government. ... \[T\]he long-term solution is to dismantle, not reform, the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-g-hornberger/the-biggest-threat-to-the-american-people-today-lies-with-the-united/) [Jacob G. Hornberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-g-hornberger/) > [I know what the counterterrorism feels like because I was there. But I also operated within limits. And within the United States government, we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-know-what-the-counterterrorism-feels-like-because-i-was-there-but-i/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The United States government has always been proud of the welcome it has extended to good men of every nation, seeking freedom and homes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/the-united-states-government-has-always-been-proud-of-the-welcome-it/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) ## More by Edward Snowden > [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/much-of-what-i-saw-in-geneva-really-disillusioned-me-about-how-my/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The NSA and Israel wrote Stuxnet together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-nsa-and-israel-wrote-stuxnet-together/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [As a general rule, so long as you have any choice at all, you should never route through or peer with the UK under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/as-a-general-rule-so-long-as-you-have-any-choice-at-all-you-should/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [ \[Brazil\] went to the UN and said, "We need new standards for this." We need to take a look at what they're calling "data… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/brazil-went-to-the-un-and-said-we-need-new-standards-for-this-we-need/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [You are also asked to take an oath, and that's the oath of service. The oath of service is not to secrecy, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/you-are-also-asked-to-take-an-oath-and-that-s-the-oath-of-service-the/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We need to think about encryption not as this sort of arcane, black art. It's a basic protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-need-to-think-about-encryption-not-as-this-sort-of-arcane-black/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [A lot of people in 2008 voted for Obama. I did not vote for him. I voted for a third party. But I believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/a-lot-of-people-in-2008-voted-for-obama-i-did-not-vote-for-him-i/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Too often we forget that social and political movements don't happen overnight. They don't bring change immediately - you have to build a critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/too-often-we-forget-that-social-and-political-movements-don-t-happen/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [ There was a real choice when \[Barack Obama\] became president. It was a very difficult choice - to say, "We're not going to hold… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/there-was-a-real-choice-when-barack-obama-became-president-it-was-a/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We've learned that we've allowed technological capabilities to dictate policies and practices, rather than ensuring that our laws and values guide our technological capabilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-ve-learned-that-we-ve-allowed-technological-capabilities-to/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [It's much easier, I think, to protect communications while they're in transit at least, than it is to enforce legislation in every country in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-s-much-easier-i-think-to-protect-communications-while-they-re-in/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [If an adversary didn't target our power plants but they did target the core routers, the backbones that tie our internet connections together, entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-an-adversary-didn-t-target-our-power-plants-but-they-did-target/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [I care more about the country than what happens to me. But we can't allow the law to become a political weapon or agree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-care-more-about-the-country-than-what-happens-to-me-but-we-can-t/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) [Explore all 478 Edward Snowden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) ## More Cases quotes > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [I think we've all had enough of Coltrane saxophonists. 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Underpinning them was the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/he-emphasised-basic-truths-you-are-not-dying-yet-you-have-to-live/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/) [Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/) > [Each Act of Parliament intended to address harassment and discrimination has faced objections on the basis of 'you'll never be able to prove...' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/each-act-of-parliament-intended-to-address-harassment-and/) [Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/) > [The Cheney team had, for example, technological supremacy over the National Security Council staff. That is to say, they could read their e-mails. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wilkerson/the-cheney-team-had-for-example-technological-supremacy-over-the/) [Lawrence Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wilkerson/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. 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