re: #231 Killgore Trout

It’s hard to tell where the line is. Here’s my thinking: This wasn’t about informing the public about something new. Everybody already knew about the program, it is legal and has proper judicial oversight. His leak didn’t really damage the NSA but what he did accomplish was naming the companies which does cause them problems and public relations problems for them. It also makes them more hesitant to cooperate in the future. I don’t think there was really much “news” value in the info he stole.

If anything this leak shows there was more judicial oversight than initially thought. When the program was under Bush I heard a lot of people asking why they weren’t going through the FISA courts. Apparently they may have been. Go figure.