Edward Snowden, the famed whistleblower and advocate for privacy, sent shockwaves across social media platforms with his latest flurry of posts. Targeting Bitcoin developers, tech mogul Elon Musk, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Snowden's commentary ignited debates on privacy, freedom of expression, and political accountability.
Snowden's Social Media Storm: Unveiling Truths on Freedom, Privacy, and Political Accountability
In a recent report by Cointelegraph, Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the United States National Security Agency accused of espionage for leaking classified information, had a busy day on the X social media app on May 2, when he appeared to have a fraction of abuse for everyone from South Dakota's current governor to the world's richest person.
Snowden, an outspoken whistleblower who resided in refuge in Russia until 2022, when he was awarded full citizenship, has gained media attention following his whistleblower event. Currently, he maintains celebrity status, especially among some technology-based communities, and is well-recognized for speaking out on issues that he views related to freedom and privacy.
Elon Musk, a celebrity technologist known for speaking out on problems of freedom, was among those who earned Snowden's ire during his May 2 outburst. After Musk tweeted a poll asking if someone who "tears down the American flag and puts up another flag in its place" should be deported to the country whose flag they raised, Snowden punished the billionaire with a lesson in free expression.
"First of all," Snowden began in a post on Musk's X social media platform, "Americans' freedom of expression, which includes all manner of flag-trampling and other unlikable acts, is constitutionally protected for a very good reason." He then asked what would happen if the United States flag was replaced with a flag bearing the McDonald's logo.
In an additional post, Snowden continued:
"Because no law—even one described, like the Constitution, as the 'supreme law of the land'—possesses a force of its own; the ink cannot leap from the page to fight for your rights. A law can only defend the people when the people defend the law. Its power derives from our own."
Musk appears not to have reacted.
Snowden Sounds Alarm on Bitcoin Privacy: A Decade of Warnings Ignored
Regarding Bitcoin, Snowden issued what he called his final warning:
"I've been warning Bitcoin developers for ten years that privacy needs to be provided for at the protocol level," he wrote before adding, "This is the final warning. The clock is ticking."
The warning was sparked by the announcement that Wasabi Wallet creator zkSNACKs was closing down.
It is unclear what Snowden warned against, but the whistleblower has long been associated with cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin, as a supporter and advocate.
Snowden Condemns Governor's Actions: A Controversial Debate on Animal Welfare and Political Ethics
After commenting on the situation of free speech on X and the future of Bitcoin, Snowden turned his sharp tongue to South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
The embattled Republican recently faced widespread social and conventional media reaction after excerpts from a new book she wrote revealed the account of her shooting a 14-month-old puppy in the head.
According to a source, Noem has now defended her actions as legal, even claiming in later criticism that the dog was untrainable and dangerous.
These comments have set Snowden off, prompting him to draw a parallel between excessive force in law enforcement and Noem's farm animal policy.
Snowden's post referred to Noem as a "puppy-killer," adding, "OK lady, sure. Soon the police union will tell us that the pup was coming right for her; sudden movement feared for her life."
Photo: Microsoft Bing
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