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IT firms lose billions after NSA scandal exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden (The Independent):

The National Security Agency scandal exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden has cost American technology companies billions of dollars in lost revenue as governments and companies in its important export markets of Asia refuse to entrust the handling of sensitive data to US companies. An analysis of financial filings from technology giants IBM and Cisco by The Independent on Sunday reveals the two businesses have seen sales slump by more than $1.7bn (£1.03bn) year-on-year in the important Asia-Pacific region since Mr Snowden revealed in June that US companies had been compromised by the NSA’s intelligence-gathering in the clandestine Prism programme. (…)

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Former CIA chief: Snowden should be “hanged by the neck until dead”

Former CIA director James Woolsey responded to the suggestion of amnesty even more strongly, saying in a Fox News interview that Snowden should be hanged. “I think giving him amnesty is idiotic,” said Woolsey, who ran the CIA from 1993 to 1995. “He should be prosecuted for treason. If convicted by a jury of his peers, he should be hanged by his neck until he is dead.”

John Bolton: Edward Snowden ‘Ought To Swing From A Tall Oak Tree’

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton spoke out against former government contractor Edward Snowden for leaking classified details on the National Security Agency’s controversial surveillance practices, suggesting Snowden should “swing from a tall oak tree” as punishment. Speaking on Fox News on Monday, Bolton, who served under former President George W. Bush, characterized Snowden’s actions as treason, and urged against any public talk of amnesty.

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Obama-Berater: NSA-Vorratsdatenprogramm hat keine Anschläge verhindert (Heise)

Geoffrey Stone, Mitglied des Expertengremiums des Weißen Hauses, das die NSA-Affäre untersucht, hat die Ergebnisse des Programms der National Security Agency zum fünfjährigen Sammeln und Auswerten von Verbindungs- und Standortdaten als “sehr dünn” bezeichnet. Aus Sicht des technischen US-Geheimdienstes möge es zwar “logisch” erscheinen, elektronische Nutzerspuren verdachtsunabhängig zu analysieren, erklärte der Chicagoer Rechtsprofessor gegenüber dem Sender NBC. Die Sachverständigen hätten während ihrer Arbeit aber keinen einzigen Hinweis darauf gefunden, dass damit Terroranschläge verhindert werden konnten.

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Secret contract tied NSA and security industry pioneer (Reuters)

As a key part of a campaign to embed encryption software that it could crack into widely used computer products, the U.S. National Security Agency arranged a secret $10 million contract with RSA, one of the most influential firms in the computer security industry, Reuters has learned.

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