Reports have suggested that Edward Snowden’s ultimate destination is Ecuador although that country seems to be cooling on the idea recently. But despite that, Ecuador has gone out of its way to tell the US that it will not be bullied by them to hand over Snowden. Juan Cole lists all the awful things that the US has done to Ecuador in the past as the reasons why that country is taking this stance. [Read more…]

One of the frequently recurring arguments offered by those supporting the widespread NSA surveillance programs is that this should not bother anyone who has nothing to hide. While this is a spurious argument at the best of times, it has a sinister corollary in that people who do take steps to protect their privacy may be assumed by the government to be up to no good, even though there are many reasons for guarding one’s personal information that have nothing to do with any form of criminality, let alone terrorism. [Read more…]