Snowden Helped Guardian Reporter With Secure Communication System

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Before he handed over classified Power Point slides that detailed a sweeping National Security Agency surveillance program, Edward Snowden helped the Guardian’s Glenn Greenwald create a secure means of communication, which Greenwald was unfamiliar with, the Huffington Post reports:

Snowden only wanted to communicate securely using PGP encryption, for which Greenwald didn’t have the proper software installed at the time. In an interview with The Huffington Post, Greenwald acknowledged that he’s no expert in using such technology and said that Snowden even provided a step-by-step email and video to help secure their communication. At that point, however, Greenwald didn’t know what his would-be source had (or didn’t have) and continued to prioritize other stories instead.

Snowden then approached Laura Poitras, a filmmaker and a colleague of Greenwald, with the story, according to the Post. Poitras met Greenwald a few months later after the initial exchange and told him that the source was working for an NSA contractor and had “documents showing serious government wrongdoing.” After listening to Poitras, Greenwald set up the secured transmission line and resumed his communication with Snowden in late March or early April.

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