IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Winter 2014 - 38

Few whistleblowers need to take precautions to the
level that Snowden did: his enemies were far more
determined and technically sophisticated than a typical whistleblower's employer. Nevertheless, it is worth
learning from Snowden's caution: be incredibly careful.
Lesson 2: Choose Recipients Carefully
Snowden carefully considered potential recipients for his
leaks. He wanted journalists and editors who would treat
his disclosures seriously and have the determination to
publish them in the face of opposition by the U.S. government. He decided not to approach U.S. media, which
usually are too acquiescent to the government. U.S.
media have broken some big stories, but sometimes only
after fear of losing a scoop. The story of the My Lai massacre, when U.S. troops killed hundreds of Vietnamese
civilians during the Indochina war, was offered to major
newspapers and television networks, but they were not
interested. In 2004, U.S. television channel CBS initially
held back the story about abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. prison guards at Abu Ghraib prison, at the
request of the Pentagon, finally going to air because the
story was about to be broken in print.
Snowden decided instead to approach the Guardian, a British media group with a history of publishing stories in the public interest, despite government
displeasure. It was a wise choice.
Lesson 3: Be Persistent
Snowden decided to approach the Guardian, and not just
anyone: in late 2012 he contacted the Guardian's freelance columnist Glenn Greenwald, noted for his outspoken stands critical of U.S. government abuses, especially
surveillance. Snowden sent Greenwald an anonymous
email, offering disclosures and asking Greenwald to install
encryption software. However, Greenwald-resident in
Brazil-was busy with other projects and didn't get around
to it. So Snowden created a video primer for installing the
software just to encourage Greenwald to use it. However,
even this wasn't enough to prod the busy Greenwald to act.
Snowden didn't give up. In January 2013, he next
contacted Greenwald's friend and collaborator Laura
Poitras-a fierce critic of the U.S. security state, and a
victim of it-who he thought would be interested herself and who would get Greenwald involved. It worked.
The lesson is to be persistent in seeking the right
outlet for leaks-and to be careful and patient along
the way.
Lesson 4: Improve Communication Skills
Snowden is a quiet, unassuming sort of person. He might
be called a nerd. Contrary to some of his detractors, it
was not his desire to become a public figure. Despite his
retiring nature, Snowden knew what he wanted to say.
He refined his key ideas so he could be quite clear when
speaking and writing, and he stuck to his message.
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Most whistleblowers need good communication
skills to be able to get their message across. (In a few
cases, leaking documents without commentary might
be sufficient.) My usual advice is to write a short summary of the issues, but this isn't easy, especially when
you are very close to the events. Being able to speak
well can be just as important, if you have telephone or
face-to-face contact with journalists or allies. Many
people will judge your credibility by how convincing
you sound in speech and writing. Practice is vital, as
is feedback on how to improve.
Lesson 5: Make Contingency Plans
Snowden thought carefully what he wanted to achieve
and how he was going to go about it. Initially he leaked
selected NSA files to journalists to pique their interest
and demonstrate his bona fides. After all, who's going
to believe someone sending an email saying they can
show the NSA is carrying out massive covert surveillance of citizens and political leaders? After establishing credibility, Snowden then arranged a face-to-face
meeting, to hand over the NSA files and help explain
them: many of the files were highly technical and not
easy for non-specialists to understand.
Snowden knew that it would be impossible for him
to remain in hiding. The U.S. government would do
everything possible, technically and politically, to
find and arrest him. So Snowden decided to go public,
namely to reveal his identity (though Greenwald convinced him to wait a few days after the initial media
stories). Going public added credibility to the revelations by attaching them to a human face.
He did not anticipate every subsequent development: it was not part of a plan to flee Hong Kong and
end up in Russia. Even so, Snowden anticipated more
of what happened than do most whistleblowers, who
are often caught unawares by reprisals and stunned by
the failure of bosses to address their concerns and of
watchdog agencies to protect them.
The lesson from Snowden is to think through likely
options, including worst case scenarios, and make
plans accordingly.
Lesson 6: Be Prepared for the Consequences
Snowden knew that leaking NSA documents would
make him a wanted man. He was prepared for the worst
scenario: arrest and lengthy imprisonment. He knew
what he was sacrificing. Indeed, he had left his longtime girlfriend in Hawaii, knowing he might never see
her again. He made his decision and followed it through.
So far, Snowden has avoided the worst outcomes,
from his point of view. He might have ended up in
prison, without access to computers (his greatest fear),
perhaps even tortured like military whistleblower
(continued on page 43)
IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE

WINTER 2014

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