NSA Leaker Seeking Asylum in Iceland?

[unokitty]

USA Today
Edward Snowden says he seeks safe harbor in Iceland

Forbes
Icelandic Legislator: I'm Ready To Help NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Seek Asylum


Three Questions.

Do you really think that he is headed to Iceland?

Apparently before he can apply for asylum, he must first get there. Do you think that he can get there before some intelligence agency captures him?

Anyone been to Iceland? Want to tell us what it is like?
Worked with a fellow that had spent time there while he was growing up. He always wanted to go back.

Uno

 

[Doppel]

No chance he can get there. If what he said in that interview is true, that he COULD have released a huge amount of extra data like locations to all offices and what not the NSA has to be extremely worried that he has this (even if he doesn't intend at this time to release it). He will have a hard time internationally traveling. My guess is he gets arrested soon and somebody extradites him. I don't think he'll find safe harbor anywhere except a de facto enemy of the US like North Korea, and I'd rather be in a US prison than in NK anyway.

 

[glenn1]

It's very nice, I was just there in April. It's modern and fully up to Scandanavian Europe living and cultural standards. You can get tasty smoked puffin, reindeer pate, and beluga whale and they love black licorice jacketed in chocolate. What else do you want to know?

 

[glenn1]

No chance he can get there. If what he said in that interview is true, that he COULD have released a huge amount of extra data like locations to all offices and what not the NSA has to be extremely worried that he has this (even if he doesn't intend at this time to release it). He will have a hard time internationally traveling. My guess is he gets arrested soon and somebody extradites him. I don't think he'll find safe harbor anywhere except a de facto enemy of the US like North Korea, and I'd rather be in a US prison than in NK anyway.

The events around this leak investigation have completely converted me on the Julian Assange question as well. I used to think he was a creepy rapist who was simply trying to avoid justice, now I see his decision to seek asylum as not only reasonable but completely rational. As someone who proudly served in the U.S. military for 12+ years, I now fully understand and can empathize with paranoia about my country and its practices.

 

[Doppel]

The events around this leak investigation have completely converted me on the Julian Assange question as well. I used to think he was a creepy rapist who was simply trying to avoid justice, now I see his decision to seek asylum as not only reasonable but completely rational. As someone who proudly served in the U.S. military for 12+ years, I now fully understand and can empathize with paranoia about my country and its practices.

I have not paid a great deal of attention to Assange but thought the rape allegations were a little suspect, and in any case really mostly irrelevant to his release of docs. I never saw him as some great devil for what he did.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

The events around this leak investigation have completely converted me on the Julian Assange question as well. I used to think he was a creepy rapist who was simply trying to avoid justice, now I see his decision to seek asylum as not only reasonable but completely rational. As someone who proudly served in the U.S. military for 12+ years, I now fully understand and can empathize with paranoia about my country and its practices.

You're just now realizing this? Seriously, I've lost a little respect for you. I could give 2 shits less about his personal life. Why does his personal life (regardless of true or not) play into his politics and (in my honest opinion) patriotism.

Obama wins a Nobel Peace Prize for censorship, and Julian Assange is arrested and treated as a terrorist for freedom of information. Go figure sheep.. baah baaaaah baaaaaah

 

[Karl Agathon]

No chance he can get there. If what he said in that interview is true, that he COULD have released a huge amount of extra data like locations to all offices and what not the NSA has to be extremely worried that he has this (even if he doesn't intend at this time to release it). He will have a hard time internationally traveling. My guess is he gets arrested soon and somebody extradites him. I don't think he'll find safe harbor anywhere except a de facto enemy of the US like North Korea, and I'd rather be in a US prison than in NK anyway.

Pretty sure China would be willing to pay him a kings ransom for what he knows. Although I highly doubt China would grant him full asylum. As it would draw them into a major diplomatic crisis with the US.

 

[BoberFett]

Pretty sure China would be willing to pay him a kings ransom for what he knows. Although I highly doubt China would grant him full asylum. As it would draw them into a major diplomatic crisis with the US.

The US has proven without a doubt that we have no balls when it comes to dealing with China.

 

[Incorruptible]

Hopefully obama stops being a coward and doesn't punish this guy and let him back in the US.

 

[glenn1]

You're just now realizing this? Seriously, I've lost a little respect for you. I could give 2 shits less about his personal life. Why does his personal life (regardless of true or not) play into his politics and (in my honest opinion) patriotism.

Obama wins a Nobel Peace Prize for censorship, and Julian Assange is arrested and treated as a terrorist for freedom of information. Go figure sheep.. baah baaaaah baaaaaah

Julian Assange is Australian IIRC, so I'm not sure why you're crediting him for "patriotism." And Sweden is looking to question him about the sexual assault charges, there's been no arrest for "freedom of information" or anything else. And maybe you don't "give 2 shits about his personal life," but then you might be the type who figures rapes are just the price we pay for having such wonderful people around.

 

[lagokc]

No chance he can get there. If what he said in that interview is true, that he COULD have released a huge amount of extra data like locations to all offices and what not the NSA has to be extremely worried that he has this (even if he doesn't intend at this time to release it). He will have a hard time internationally traveling.

Dead man's switch. He releases all the data he COULD have released as an encrypted torrent and rigs up a system to broadcast the key if he doesn't make it to Iceland safely and deactivate the system.

He's probably safer in China though. The Chinese love face and they'll happily protect him if it means embarrassing the American government: "What's this? Your whistle blowers are fleeing here because of your secret police spy programs? Who's a backward totalitarian regime now AMERICA!"