back to article Snowden: NBN leaker raids a 'misuse' of Australian Federal Police

National Security Agency (NSA) leaker Edward Snowden has opined that last week's National Broadband Network (NBN) raids in Australia last week are a misuse of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) power. Snowden appeared via satellite link in the Australian city of Melbourne last night, live from Russia where he resides under …

  1. Oengus

    Timing is interesting

    The timing of the raid is interesting.

    Supposedly NBNco requested the AFP investigate over 6 months ago. Why wait so long before investigating? Surely the delay would have given any guilty parties time to destroy any evidence.

    Launching the raid during the election campaign is surely targeted to embarass the opposition. If you had waited 6 months why not wait another few weeks until the election is over? If the evidence hasn't been destroyed already it isn't likely to be destroyed in the near future...

    1. glen waverley

      Re: Timing is interesting

      Possible explanation for timing - we are currently in a double dissolution election. That means we don't currently have a senate. (Normally the senate stays in existence during an election period because the senators' terms are for a fixed period and 36 of the 76 senators aren't up for election.)

      So maybe the plastics aka federal police saw a gap where no senators = no parliamentary privilege.

      But as always, more likely to be a cock-up rather than a conspiracy

  2. FlashJackFromGundagai

    I am sorry, I have very little respect for "Mr Snowjob", because of where he lives... and possibly for who is paying his wages and bills... If he lived in Sweden, he statements would be valid, but living in Russia, who is now being blamed for the MH17 shoot-down, and increasingly being one of the most repressive regimes... "Mr Snowjob" is as trust worthy as Kim Philby... any chance "Mr Snowjob" ever leaving Russia.. perhaps to give lectures to the North Koreans, as Kim gave to the East Germans... not bloody likely... in my books he is a liar and a traitor.

    1. Voland's right hand Silver badge

      Russia, who is now being blamed

      You unintentionally used the correct language. For the purposes of our own sabre rattling idiots it is essential to blame them so that more money can be apportioned to the war cause.

      To put it bluntly, there is 20 years of intentional escalation at work here and it is not Russia who started it.

      My mother has a framed copy of a service reprimand on display in her living room for calling a Lithuanian pilot a c*nt in the course of her duties as a senior met officer. The Lithuanians were running cargo flight was supposedly carrying "cucumbers" (that definitely needs quotes) from a civilian airport in a NATO country to Dnepropetrovsk (you can have a look where is that on the map). The Lithuanian asked for a low altitude wind shear and visibility forecast for Hankala (that is on the outskirts of Grozny - you can also see where it is relative on the map). He was unlucky - that is where my mother served for several years before retiring on medical grounds so she explained him exactly what he is (Пиздюк) and now proudly keeps the reprimand on her wall.

      That was right around this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Dagestan and you know "cucumbers" are essential for supplying the necessary "vitamins" for such benevolent excursions to your neighbors.

      So sure, we can and should blame them for quite a few things. After all - they have done them. However, we should also assigned the blame to everyone in NATO who has shipped ex-Warsaw pact surplus weapons to terrorists around their borders for 20 years (with active support of 3 letter agencies throughout).

      1. fruitoftheloon
        Happy

        @Voland

        Err what???

        1. Voland's right hand Silver badge

          Re: @Voland

          Err what???

          Exactly that. It was a more than once a month flight for several years by the way.

          After the incident at which she called them c*nts and refused to provide said c*nts with low altitude forecast for Air America style weapon smuggling in the North Caucasus, the airport authorities had a more "compliant" met officer given the task to supply those flights with forecasts and NOTAMs and she was re-assigned to back-office duties until retirement.

          In any case, based on this (and other) first hand documentary evidence, we have to thank the Russians for their patience.

          If someone shipped 100+ transport aircraft flights of heavy weapons as a "donation" to IRA UK would have probably used Trident on them 10 times by now. USA under similar circumstances - not probably, definitely.

    2. julian.smith

      @ JackShit fromGundagai

      You aren't so flash, Jack

      More like a creature from the same pit of filth as Murdoch, Dutton, Dolt .....

      No chance of you risking anything to blow the whistle on your masters

      "in my books" ... you haven't written any books ... and would be pushing it to even read a book

      Edward Snowden is in Russia because the American regime cancelled his passport whilst he was in transit in Moscow Airport ... and you know it chicken hawk.

  3. AbelSoul
    Facepalm

    Re: I am sorry...

    Did you just register on The Register to post that kiech?

  4. Alan Brown Silver badge

    What Snowden misses

    The AFP is the second most corrupt police organisation in Australia.

    The top one still being Queensland police, 35 years on from the revelations about the levels in that state.

    1. Mark 65

      Re: What Snowden misses

      and in true State of Origin competitive fervour NSW don't look like they want to lose out to their northern competitors.

  5. Jimmy Cohen

    I don't care about freedom of speech because I have nothing to say

    People who say "I don't care about freedom of speech because I have nothing to say" are dumb. Everyone has something to hide even if he / she doesn't do illegal work. No one wants his bank account info and things that can be misused to blackmail him / her to be publically available. That's why it is important for us to secure our online activities. As a start, one can start from using a premium VPN like Ivacy to stay safe and anonymous on the web.

  6. Aodhhan

    Snowden isn't an academic by any means.

    I love it when someone in their 20s, without any formal education (in anything) believe they've had so much experience, they understand and know it all. Especially when it comes to the laws of a country they've never studied or set foot in. Oh.. someone I know said this? I must repeat it.

    Just so you understand... the government of any country has the responsibility to protect its citizens. So, instead of just ranting off what you believe to be the law in a country you've never set foot in... stop and look through the action and first see if they are protecting citizens and second.. did they follow the law.

    The part you look at first... best interest of a few, or a political action, should be done later.

    1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

      Re: Snowden isn't an academic by any means.

      It has been a long time since the law protected the citizens.

      The law protects the elite and enables cracking down on dissent. Citizens are to be ruled, not protected. Where the fuck have you been?

      1. Gene Cash Silver badge

        Re: Snowden isn't an academic by any means.

        Yeah, I remember when I was a kid, 50 years ago, and you were supposed to go to the friendly neighborhood cop when you were in trouble and they were your best friend.

        Now even the local paper does stories on how you can legally not talk to the cop that randomly stops you, what your (highly convoluted) rights are, and how it's in your best interest to get away as fast as possible.

        Sad.

        1. Fatman

          Re: Snowden isn't an academic by any means.

          <quote>Now even the local paper does stories on how you can legally not talk to the cop that randomly stops you, what your (highly convoluted) rights are, and how it's in your best interest to get away as fast as possible.</quote>

          Should be re-worded to read:

          Now even the local paper does stories on how cops can use the flimsiest excuses to stop and harass you while you go about your life; and that you have little or no recourse when they blatantly attempt to coerce lawful citizens into 'submission'. Their unfettered and unchecked subversion of their police powers bring upon them nothing but contempt for both the uniform and the asshole that wears it. They demand respect from the citizens but fail to show any toward lawful citizens, THEY (i.e. the police) by their heavy handed tactics, encourage citizen contempt. And they deserve every bit of that citizen contempt they get.

          Such hollow remarks to the likes of "If you have done nothing wrong, ...." are an embodiment of this cavalier attitude.

      2. Fatman
        Joke

        Re: Snowden isn't an academic by any means.

        <quote>Where the fuck have you been?</quote>

        Somewhere out in the boonies with his head firmly shoved up his ass!!!

        ICON to insure that I am taken seriously -------------------------->

    2. Mark 65

      Re: Snowden isn't an academic by any means.

      @ Aodhhan: university education or not, he's a damn site more eloquent, articulate and intelligent than you are. Not everyone wants or needs to piss 10s of thousands of dollars against the wall for a think by numbers university education. If he doesn't have one then he's demonstrated they really aren't all that necessary these days. Some of the World's larger employers are starting to see it that way too.

      You might also want to note in your empty headed rant that one of his major points is the shithouse and missing legislation that enables the political classes to shit on anyone at any time in Australia. The gist being that, even if it's meaningless, the US still has controlling legislation versus the Australian free-for-all.

    3. DiViDeD

      Re: Snowden isn't an academic by any means.

      "first see if they are protecting citizens and second.. did they follow the law."

      Well, as to the first, they were absolutely protecting the citizens of Australia from knowing that that nice Mr Turnbull's 'not only better, but cheaper to boot' was plagued with massive cost overruns, unexplained shortages, corruption and inefficiencies, which would only have worried us or, worse, make us question the assertion that this government has a fucking clue about what they're doing.

      For the second, well not really. They were responding to a politically motivated request from an extremely interested party (whether the Liberals or NBN, doesn't really matter) to find out the identity of the person who had the temerity to reveal to the Australian public what this bunch of weasels were doing IN OUR NAME, and using our bloody money. They also allowed an employee of NBN (not a police officer, an employee of a private company with no legal

      right to be involved in the investigation or supported by the AFP) to photograph documents on the desk of an MP and then to take those pictures away with him/her.

      All in all, Mr Snowden was pretty spot on with his analysis on this one, I think.

  7. ops4096

    Dear Mr Snowden

    We know. Despite very public and very vocal opposition we the .au population were and are incapable of rescinding, amending or establishing checks to this legislation. Noting the total non existence of whistle blowers (said activity being totally illegal) in .au one could reasonable argue that the very limited exemptions carved out by and for the MSM are totally meaningless. Given the understandable lack of data one can only hypothesize that our 'representatives' have been totally corrupted by and for the '1%' in an ultimately doomed effort to maintain the subjugation of increasingly restive populations.

  8. Medixstiff

    Snowden cites the nation's "drag net" data retention and anti-whistleblower laws in which citizen metadata is retained for two years, and those who leak national security documents may be imprisoned.

    What gets me is some of the names on the list of who have access to the retained metadata:

    Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, National Measurement Institute, Greyhound Racing Victoria, Harness Racing New South Wales, Racing and Wagering Western Australia, Racing NSW and Racing Queensland

    Why the F*** do these organisations need our mobile phone and internet metadata?

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