'Can You Hear Me Now?' Twitter Rejoices as @Snowden Arrives
Whistleblower garners hundreds of thousands of followers in matter of hours
| Tweets by @Snowden |
And with that, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden entered the social media fray of Twitter on Tuesday morning under the username @snowden.
Within hours, the individual credited with leaking some of the most closely-guarded secrets of the U.S. intelligence community had garnered hundreds of thousands of followers--nearly 300,000 and quickly rising as of this writing.
Proving that he might have the requisite sense of humor for an engaging Twitter presence, Snowden himself--at least so far--has chosen only one account to follow: his former employer, the NSA (@NSAGov).
Writing at The Intercept, journalist Dan Froomkin offered a laudatory welcome by saying that by joining the prominent social media platform--and by using his own voice to manage the account--Snowden will establish himself "even more firmly as a major figure in the public discourse about surveillance and privacy that he jump-started in June 2013."
Glenn Greenwald, one of the journalists most closely associated with Snowden and the leaks he provided, also chimed in by saying that in addition to the inspiration stirred by his initial decision to blow the whistle on the NSA's mass surveillance, Snowden's voice and his "ability to participate in the debate he started - rather than sitting incommunicado in a US cage for decades - has been crucial."
Last week, with a push from civil liberties and online privacy advocates, a new effort--nicknamed the 'Snowden Treaty'--was launched to forge an international agreement that would "curtail mass surveillance and protect the rights of whistleblowers."
Meanwhile, back on Twitter:
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
| Tweets by @Snowden |
And with that, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden entered the social media fray of Twitter on Tuesday morning under the username @snowden.
Within hours, the individual credited with leaking some of the most closely-guarded secrets of the U.S. intelligence community had garnered hundreds of thousands of followers--nearly 300,000 and quickly rising as of this writing.
Proving that he might have the requisite sense of humor for an engaging Twitter presence, Snowden himself--at least so far--has chosen only one account to follow: his former employer, the NSA (@NSAGov).
Writing at The Intercept, journalist Dan Froomkin offered a laudatory welcome by saying that by joining the prominent social media platform--and by using his own voice to manage the account--Snowden will establish himself "even more firmly as a major figure in the public discourse about surveillance and privacy that he jump-started in June 2013."
Glenn Greenwald, one of the journalists most closely associated with Snowden and the leaks he provided, also chimed in by saying that in addition to the inspiration stirred by his initial decision to blow the whistle on the NSA's mass surveillance, Snowden's voice and his "ability to participate in the debate he started - rather than sitting incommunicado in a US cage for decades - has been crucial."
Last week, with a push from civil liberties and online privacy advocates, a new effort--nicknamed the 'Snowden Treaty'--was launched to forge an international agreement that would "curtail mass surveillance and protect the rights of whistleblowers."
Meanwhile, back on Twitter:
| Tweets by @Snowden |
And with that, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden entered the social media fray of Twitter on Tuesday morning under the username @snowden.
Within hours, the individual credited with leaking some of the most closely-guarded secrets of the U.S. intelligence community had garnered hundreds of thousands of followers--nearly 300,000 and quickly rising as of this writing.
Proving that he might have the requisite sense of humor for an engaging Twitter presence, Snowden himself--at least so far--has chosen only one account to follow: his former employer, the NSA (@NSAGov).
Writing at The Intercept, journalist Dan Froomkin offered a laudatory welcome by saying that by joining the prominent social media platform--and by using his own voice to manage the account--Snowden will establish himself "even more firmly as a major figure in the public discourse about surveillance and privacy that he jump-started in June 2013."
Glenn Greenwald, one of the journalists most closely associated with Snowden and the leaks he provided, also chimed in by saying that in addition to the inspiration stirred by his initial decision to blow the whistle on the NSA's mass surveillance, Snowden's voice and his "ability to participate in the debate he started - rather than sitting incommunicado in a US cage for decades - has been crucial."
Last week, with a push from civil liberties and online privacy advocates, a new effort--nicknamed the 'Snowden Treaty'--was launched to forge an international agreement that would "curtail mass surveillance and protect the rights of whistleblowers."
Meanwhile, back on Twitter: