Super Angry Geeks Versus “The Man”

“I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon….that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant.”

– Edward Snowden

In the 1983 American science-fiction film “War Games” star Matthew Broderick played a teenage internet hacker who unwittingly accesses a U.S. military supercomputer programmed to predict possible outcomes of nuclear war. Broderick’s character gets the computer to run a nuclear war simulation, thinking it to be a computer game. The simulation triggers a succession of unintended consequences that nearly starts World War III. Broderick and his female accomplice/love interest spend most of the film on the run from “the man” (i.e., the U.S. government), but by story’s end, he exonerates himself and gets the girl.

Thirty years later, Edward Snowden find himself the protagonist in a real world spy thriller triggered by his decision to face off with “the man” by intentionally leaking classified information to the international media. Indeed, Snowden did not make just any big mistake, and all will certainly not be forgiven.

Intended Consequences

Edward Snowden, unlike the protagonist in the War Games movie knew the consequences he would unleash when he fled to Hong Kong with the intent to spill the beans on classified U.S. government programs. The soft-spoken former defense contractor stated recently in an interview, “I can’t in good conscience allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they’re secretly building.” Snowden’s willingness to turn his beliefs into actions put him squarely in the cross hairs of the most powerful government on the planet. The man whose father describes him as a “deep thinker” is now on the run, feverishly evading the web of U.S. justice because he pulled back the curtains to reveal the National Security Agency’s (NSA) “we know who you called last year – and the year before that” public surveillance campaign.

President Obama, the quintessential even-keeled executive has displayed little emotion in his public remarks on the Snowden affair, but other U.S. politicians have not been so restrained in coming out against the protagonist in this made for T.V. drama.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) joined other lawmakers recently urging the prosecution of Edward Snowden stating, “I don’t look at this as being a whistle-blower, I think it’s an act of treason. There are many more lawmakers, and even journalists, who are joining Feinstein in labeling the technologist turned activist a “traitor.” However, Snowden and his ilk have demonstrated that talk of “treason” and of “consequences” are not enough to dissuade them from speaking out on issues that are the core of their political and ideological spirits.

Super Angry Transnational Disrupters

Since going public and embarrassing the American administration, Snowden has become a pawn in a fast moving geopolitical chess game. China and Russia top the list of global powers that have deemed it in their interests to protect the world’s most well known non-violent fugitive as he feverishly works to evade the long arm of U.S. justice.

Interestingly, sympathetic nations are not the only actors who have played key roles in keeping Snowden from U.S. legal ensnarement. There are a few non-state actors who share Snowden’s self-professed “privacy preservation” mission and who have joined the fight to keep Snowden from being forever muzzled. The most prominent of these non-state actors is Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks – a man who also finds himself in the middle of his own nightmare with his liberty persistently threatened due to his role in coordinating the release of tens of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables. The Australian citizen is currently holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in the U.K. after winning the support of the South American nation whose leader, Rafael Correa, has repeatedly demonstrated a pronounced fearlessness in courting the ire of the U.S. government. Assange continues to play a significant role in orchestrating Snowden’s efforts to escape and evade “the man” – providing the American with guidance, attorneys and other critical support over the last few days.

Though from opposite sides of the world, both men are savvy technologists with kindred spirits who share a common world view and now a common “magnificent mission”. They both are on a crusade to preserve citizens’ privacy, internet freedoms and to keep “the man” in check. Snowden recently stated, “I believe that at this point in history, the greatest danger to our freedom and way of life comes from the reasonable fear of omniscient State powers kept in check by nothing more than policy documents.” Yes, both men are outraged by governments’ efforts to intrude, conceal and subvert, and neither appears to be motivated by material gain. Snowden recently stated, “There are more important things than money. If I were motivated by money, I could have sold these documents to any number of countries and gotten very rich.” Obviously, Snowden, Assange and Bradley Manning (currently on trial for “aiding the enemy”) are “values centered” individuals who are not afraid to put their own skin in the game – risking their personal freedom for what they believe to be a magnificent cause.

Containing Non-Violent But Damaging Angry Men

It will be interesting to see how the Obama Administration handles this particular varietal of non-state actor. How does a government silence non-violent individuals who hold no allegiance to any state, who do not terrorize, but who are hell bent on disrupting protected information flows to expose hidden government operations. Indeed, “the man” will have to learn to deal with this new breed of super angry disrupters who are not recruited by the Russians or Chinese, who hold no flag dear, and who play by their own set of rules. Game on!