Edward Snowden: The Internet Is Broken
Popular Science|May - June 2016

Edward Snowden on our digital naiveté.

Matt Giles
Edward Snowden: The Internet Is Broken

In 2013, a now-infamous  government contractor named Edward Snowden  shined a stark light on our vulnerable communications  infrastructure by leaking  10,000 classified U.S. documents to the world.  One by one, they detailed a mass surveillance program  in which the National Security Administration and  others gathered information  on citizens—via phone tracking and tapping  undersea Internet cables.

Three years after igniting  a controversy over personal privacy, public security, and online rights that he is still very much a part of, Snowden shares his thoughts on what’s still wrong and how to fix it.

"Even if you don’t use the Internet or a smartphone, your information is handled by tax authorities and healthcare providers who route it over the Internet. This is a force for good, but it can also be abused— by small-time actors, criminals, and nations." Edward Snowden

During the Office of Personnel Management hack last summer, the government arguably the world’s most well-resourced actor was compromised. They weren’t even using encryption. There’s a great paper called ‘Keys Under Doormats.’ It says if you weaken security for an individual or for a class of individuals, you weaken it for everyone. Security based on trust is, by its very nature, insecure. Trust isn’t permanent. It changes based on situations and administrations. And this is not just an American thing; this happens in every country worldwide.

Think about the governments you fear the most, whether it is China, Russia, or North Korea. These spying capabilities exist for everyone.

This story is from the May - June 2016 edition of Popular Science.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the May - June 2016 edition of Popular Science.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM POPULAR SCIENCEView All
Popular Science

They Might Be Giants

A photographer-and-ecologist team are on a mission to document the forests’ mightiest members.

time-read
3 mins  |
Winter 2020
Popular Science

Droplet Stoppers

Covid-19 made face masks a crucial part of every outfit, and we’re likely to don them in the future when we feel ill. Fortunately, there’s a style for every need.

time-read
1 min  |
Winter 2020
Popular Science

Landing a Lifeline

For those whose livelihood depends on the ocean, a covid-spurred interruption in the seafood market might speed progress toward a more sustainable future—for them and for fish.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Winter 2020
Headtrip – Your brain on video chat
Popular Science

Headtrip – Your brain on video chat

Dating, Catching up with family, and going to happy hour are best in person.

time-read
1 min  |
Winter 2020
Behind The Cover
Popular Science

Behind The Cover

Butterflies may seem delicate, but they are surprisingly tough.

time-read
1 min  |
Winter 2020
Tales From the Field – A cold one on mars
Popular Science

Tales From the Field – A cold one on mars

Kellie Gerardi, bioastronautics researcher at the International Institute for Austronautical Science

time-read
1 min  |
Winter 2020
Popular Science

The Needs Of The Few

Designing with the marginalized in mind can improve all of out lives.

time-read
6 mins  |
Winter 2020
Popular Science

Life On The Line

On the Western edge of Borneo, a novel conservation-minded health-care model could provide the world with a blueprint to stop next pandemic before it starts.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Winter 2020
waste watchers
Popular Science

waste watchers

YOU CAN TURN FOOD SCRAPS INTO FERTILIZER IN ALMOST ANY CONTAINER. THESE BINS USE THEIR OWN METHODS TO ENCOURAGE THE PROCESS, BUT BOTH KEEP BUGS AND STINK AT BAY.

time-read
1 min  |
Winter 2020
why can't i forget how to ride a bike?
Popular Science

why can't i forget how to ride a bike?

LEARNING TO PEDAL IS NO EASY FEAT.

time-read
1 min  |
Winter 2020