Coronavirus: Edward Snowden Speaks Out on Data Collected by Governments and Actions TakenSince his revelations concerning the mass listening scandals of the CIA, ex-computer security expert Edward Snowden is regularly consulted for his opinions on government decisions around the world, and their repercussions on the inhabitants . Shane Smith interviewed him about the current pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, and the measures taken by world authorities to stem its spread.
The future may be unpredictable, but not global pandemics. There is not a single government on the planet that has been warned, repeatedly, that at some point a viral pandemic would sweep the globe, causing death and economic disruption. Yet most have failed to prepare for the new coronavirus. This is in essence the words of the world famous whistleblower Edward Snowden.
“All the academics, all the researchers who looked at this question knew it was going to happen. Yet when we needed it, we failed the system, and it completely failed us, ”says Edward Snowden. Snowden is the first guest in the new “Shelter in Place” series, which debuts on VICE TV, and which examines the global response to COVID-19 and its lasting impact in the world.
At a time when companies like Google and Facebook are using their users' data to establish containment maps, and several global telephone operators are collaborating with different public authorities, including the European Commission, by sharing the geolocation data of their customers , Snowden talks about the use of these data and their post-pandemic treatment.
Smith: Why does it seem like we are so ill-prepared?
Snowden: There is nothing more predictable as a public health crisis in a world where we live on top of each other in overcrowded and polluted cities than a pandemic. And every academic, every researcher who studied this knew that it was going to happen. And in fact, even intelligence agencies, I can tell you with confidence, because they read reports, planned pandemics in advance.
Are autocratic regimes better able to handle such things than democratic regimes?
I do not think so. I mean, some argue that China can do things that the United States cannot do. This does not mean that what these autocratic countries are doing is actually more effective.
If you look at countries like China, where cases seem to have stabilized, how much can we believe these numbers to be true?
I don't think it's possible. In particular, we see the Chinese government working recently to expel Western journalists precisely at this time when we need credible independent information in this region.
It seems that the coronavirus is perhaps the biggest question of the modern era around civil liberties, the right to privacy. However, nobody asks this question.
As authoritarianism spreads, emergency laws multiply, we sacrifice our rights, we also sacrifice our ability to stop the slide in a less liberal and less free world. Do you really believe that when the first wave, this second wave, the 16th wave of the coronavirus are long forgotten events, that these measures will not be kept? That these datasets will not be kept? No matter how they are used, what is being built now is the architecture of oppression.
The full episode of Shelter in Place, including the interview with Edward Snowden: