"State of the Net.Net" » * NSA Whistleblower Thomas Drake: U.S. Gov’t Prosecuted me as a Spy [video]

* NSA Whistleblower Thomas Drake: U.S. Gov’t Prosecuted me as a Spy [video]

Edward Snowden isn’t the first NSA whistleblower to be vilified as a criminal for revealing important information to the public.

Thomas Drake, an NSA official, was indicted in 2010 as a spy under the Espionage Act by the Obama Administration for leaking to the Baltimore Sun information about what Jane Mayer of the New Yorker has called “financial waste, bureaucratic dysfunction, and dubious legal practices in N.S.A. counterterrorism programs” (The charges were later dropped.)

Drake was interviewed by filmmaker Vivien Lesnik Weisman, director of the documentary The Hacker Wars (not yet released as I write this) at the #HOPEX hackers conference in New York on July 18, 2014. This is a compelling interview that’s a must-watch for anyone concerned about the abuse of government power and the integrity of government officials.

Filmmaker Vivien Lesnik Weisman

Below is roughly half of the one-hour recording I made at #HOPEX of that interview, divided into 6 segments of roughly 5 minutes each. (Click on each link to watch it.) I’ll post the remainder of my video of the interview as soon as time permits.

–Jeff Fox