Profile In Focus | Wikileaks - Part 4 (2013)
“Edward Snowden 2013-10-9” by TheWikiLeaksChannel under CC BY 3.0.
In 2014, the world was still reeling from the revelations made by former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden the previous year. The leaks exposed the extent of the NSA's surveillance programs and ignited a global debate on privacy and government surveillance.
At the beginning of the year, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, remained confined to the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he sought asylum to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced allegations of sexual assault. The Swedish authorities had issued an arrest warrant for Assange, but he argued that if he were extradited to Sweden, he would be at risk of being further extradited to the United States, where he could face charges related to his involvement in leaking classified information.
Meanwhile, the fallout from the Snowden leaks continued. In January, a panel appointed by President Barack Obama recommended significant changes to the NSA's surveillance programs, including limiting the bulk collection of phone records. The panel's recommendations sparked a national conversation on the balance between national security and individual privacy.
In February, documents leaked by Snowden revealed that the NSA had been spying on foreign leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The revelations strained relations between the United States and its allies, particularly Germany. The German government expressed outrage and demanded an explanation from the U.S.
In April, WikiLeaks announced that it had obtained a large number of documents from the NSA, which it called the "Kissinger Cables." The documents, dating back to the 1970s, revealed the inner workings of U.S. foreign policy and diplomacy. WikiLeaks began publishing the documents, shedding light on controversial topics such as covert operations, intelligence gathering, and human rights abuses.
As the year progressed, Assange's situation remained unresolved. The Ecuadorian government continued to provide him with asylum, but he was unable to leave the embassy in London without facing arrest. Assange's legal team argued that the Swedish allegations were politically motivated and part of a broader campaign to discredit WikiLeaks.
In November, the Swedish authorities dropped their investigation into the sexual assault allegations against Assange, citing the difficulty of proceeding with the case while he remained in the embassy. However, British authorities still sought his arrest for violating the conditions of his bail.
The year ended with Assange still confined to the Ecuadorian embassy, the broader implications of the Snowden leaks continuing to reverberate, and ongoing debates about surveillance, privacy, and the role of organizations like WikiLeaks in exposing government secrets. The world anxiously awaited the resolution of Assange's legal and diplomatic predicament, unsure of what the future held for the controversial figure and the organization he founded.
Written in part in collaboration with ChatGPT on June 5, 2023
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Russia Is A Terrorist State:
Part 1 (1990s)
Part 2 (2000s)
Part 3 (2011 - 2016)
Part 4 (2016 - 2019)
Part 5 (2020 - 2021)
Part 6 (2022+)
Sources for Profile In Focus | Wikileaks - Part 4 (2013):
President Correa Handily Wins Re-election in Ecuador – The New York Times February 17, 2013
Chinese Army Unit Is Seen as Tied to Hacking Against U.S. – The New York Times February 18, 2013
Soldier Admits Providing Files to WikiLeaks – The New York Times February 28, 2013
In Wake of Cyberattacks, China Seeks New Rules – The New York Times March 10, 2013
U.S. Demands China Block Cyberattacks and Agree to Rules – The New York Times March 11, 2013
Why Does Ukraine Matter to the EU? – April 16, 2013
‘I am not afraid of them’, Russian activist Aleksei Navalny – April 7, 2013
Russian activist Alexei Navalny denounces his trial – BBC April 24, 2013
Laws of Attrition – Human Rights Watch April 24, 2013
Fraud case against Putin opponent Navalny falters – BBC April 25, 2013
Gov’t obtains wide AP phone records in probe – Associated Press May 13, 2013
Phone Records of Journalists Seized by U.S. – The New York Times May 13, 2013
Updated: AP responds to latest DOJ letter – Associated Press May 13, 2013
Justice Dept. Defends Seizure of Phone Records – The New York Times May 14, 2013
Spying on The Associated Press | Opinion – The New York Times May 14, 2013
Snooping and the News Media: It’s a 2-Way Street – The New York Times May 14, 2013
After Attacking The A.P., a Peace Offering – The New York Times May 15, 2013
Justice Dept. Investigated Fox Reporter Over Leak – The New York Times May 20, 2013
Obama, in Nod to Press, Orders Review of Inquiries – The New York Times May 23, 2013
We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks – Netflix May 24, 2013
Leak Inquiries Show How Wide a Net U.S. Cast – The New York Times May 25, 2013
Holder Faces New Round of Criticism After Leak Inquiries – The New York Times May 29, 2013
New Rules May Rein In Prosecutors in Leak Investigations – The New York Times May 30, 2013
The Banality of ‘Don’t Be Evil’ | Opinion – The New York Times June 1, 2013
Trial Portrays Two Sides of Private in Leak Case – The New York Times June 3, 2013
U.S. Is Secretly Collecting Records of Verizon Calls – The New York Times June 5, 2013
U.S. Confirms That It Gathers Online Data Overseas – The New York Times June 6, 2013
Blogger, With Focus on Surveillance, Is at Center of a Debate – The New York Times June 6, 2013
Q. and A. on the Domestic Surveillance Program – The New York Times June 6, 2013
Obama Calls Surveillance Programs Legal and Limited – The New York Times June 7, 2013
As Criticism Grows, Curtailing Surveillance Program Seems Unlikely – The New York Times June 7, 2013
Data-Driven Tech Industry Is Shaken by Online Privacy Fears – The New York Times June 9, 2013
Leaker’s Employer Is Paid to Maintain Government Secrets – The New York Times June 9, 2013
Ex-Worker at C.I.A. Says He Leaked Data on Surveillance – The New York Times June 9, 2013
F.B.I. Director Warns Against Dismantling Surveillance Program – The New York Times June 19, 2013
China Said to Have Made Call to Let Leaker Depart – The New York Times June 23, 2013
Snowden, in Russia, Seeks Asylum in Ecuador – The New York Times June 23, 2013
Offering Snowden Aid, WikiLeaks Gets Back in the Game – The New York Times June 23, 2013
Assange, Back in News, Never Left U.S. Radar – The New York Times June 24, 2013
Snowden Case Has Cold War Aftertaste – The New York Times June 24, 2013
Hasty Exit Started With Pizza Inside a Hong Kong Hideout – The New York Times June 24, 2013
Leaker’s Flight Raises Tension Between U.S. and 3 Nations – The New York Times June 24, 2013
Empty Seat Deepens a Mystery in Moscow – The New York Times June 24, 2013
Kerry Softens Tone With Russia in Snowden Dispute – The New York Times June 25, 2013
A Stakeout Grinds On in Airport Limbo – The New York Times June 25, 2013
With Snowden in Middle, U.S. and Russia Joust, and Cool Off – The New York Times June 25, 2013
China Brushes Aside U.S. Warnings on Snowden – The New York Times June 25, 2013
Snowden, Through the Eyes of a Spy Novelist | Opinion – The New York Times June 25, 2013
Selling Europe’s Human Rights: Loud and Clear or Softly-Softly? – Carnegie Europe June 27, 2013
After Leaks, Obama Leads Damage Control Effort – The New York Times June 28, 2013
Prosecutors seek six years for Putin opponent Navalny – BBC July 5, 2013
In Secret, Court Vastly Broadens Powers of N.S.A. – The New York Times July 6, 2013
The Building and Unraveling of Security Communities – Carnegie Europe July 9, 2013
Russia activist Navalny enters Moscow mayor race – BBC July 10, 2013
Dead Lawyer, a Kremlin Critic, Is Found Guilty of Tax Evasion – The New York Times July 11, 2013
Holder Tightens Rules on Getting Reporters’ Data – The New York Times July 12, 2013
Snowden Renews Plea for Moscow to Grant Asylum – The New York Times July 12, 2013
Russian protest leader Alexei Navalny jailed for corruption – July 13, 2013
A Secret Surveillance Program Proves Challengeable in Theory Only – The New York Times July 15, 2013
For Snowden, a Life of Ambition, Despite the Drifting – The New York Times June 15, 2013
Putin Does Not Expect Ties With U.S. to Be Harmed by Snowden Case – The New York Times July 17, 2013
Obama May Cancel Moscow Trip as Tensions Build Over Leaker – The New York Times July 18, 2013
Putin Critic Gets 5-Year Jail Term, Setting Off Protests – The New York Times July 18, 2013
Retiring U.S. Envoy Faults Hong Kong and China on Snowden – The New York Times July 18, 2013
Alexei Navalny convicted: The fates of Putin’s enemies – BBC July 18, 2013
Alexei Navalny jailed: Russia’s Mandela moment? – July 19, 2013
House Defeats Effort to Rein In N.S.A. Data Gathering – The New York Times July 24, 2013
Roberts’s Picks Reshaping Secret Surveillance Court – The New York Times July 25, 2013
Lawmakers, Facing Pressure on Surveillance, Focus on Privacy – The New York Times July 25, 2013
Snowden’s Lawyer Comes With High Profile and Kremlin Ties – The New York Times July 27, 2013
A Mixed Verdict on Manning | Opinion – The New York Times July 30, 2013
Manning Is Acquitted of Aiding the Enemy – The New York Times July 30, 2013
A Mixed Verdict on Manning | Opinion – The New York Times July 30, 2013
Obama’s Fall Moscow Trip Is Even More in Doubt – The New York Times August 1, 2013
Defiant Russia Grants Snowden Year’s Asylum – The New York Times August 1, 2013
Obama To Leno: ‘There Is No Spying On Americans’ – NPR August 7, 2013
N.S.A. Said to Search Content of Messages to and From U.S. – The New York Times August 8, 2013
Breaking Through Limits on Spying | Opinion – The New York Times August 8, 2013
Q. & A.: Edward Snowden Speaks to Peter Maass – The New York Times August 13, 2013
How Laura Poitras Helped Snowden Spill His Secrets – The New York Times August 13, 2013
In Brazil, Kerry Is Told Spying Sows ‘Distrust’ – The New York Times August 13, 2013
Hillary Clinton’s Two Foreign-Policy Catastrophes | Contributor – Huffington Post August 16, 2013
Manning Sentenced to 35 Years for a Pivotal Leak of U.S. Files – The New York Times August 21, 2013
Bradley Manning’s Excessive Sentence |Opinion – The New York Times August 21, 2013
Secret Court Rebuked N.S.A. on Surveillance – The New York Times August 21, 2013
Facial Scanning Is Making Gains in Surveillance – The New York Times August 21, 2013
War on Leaks Is Pitting Journalist vs. Journalist – The New York Times August 25, 2013
Budget Documents Detail Extent of U.S. Cyberoperations – The New York Times August 31, 2013
Brazil Angered Over Report N.S.A. Spied on President – The New York Times September 2, 2013
N.S.A. Able to Foil Basic Safeguards of Privacy on Web – The New York Times September 5, 2013
Obama Tries to Soothe Brazil and Mexico Over Spying Reports – The New York Times September 6, 2013
Legislation Seeks to Bar N.S.A. Tactic in Encryption – The New York Times September 6, 2013
N.S.A. Spied on Brazilian Oil Company, Report Says – The New York Times September 9, 2013
Court Upbraided N.S.A. on Its Use of Call-Log Data – The Ne York Times September 10, 2013
Snowden Among Nominees for a European Human Rights Prize – The New York Times September 17, 2013
N.S.A. Gathers Data on Social Connections of U.S. Citizens – The New York Times September 28, 2013
Delivering the News, All of It, in 2 Minutes – The New York Times October 4, 2013
Both Hero and Villain, and Irresistible – The New York Times October 4, 2013
N.S.A. Director Firmly Defends Surveillance Efforts – The New York Times October 12, 2013
Door May Open for Challenge to Secret Wiretaps – The New York Times October 16, 2013
Seems This Anarchist Is a Laptop Hogger – The New York Times October 17, 2013
N.S.A. Plan to Log Calls Is Renewed by Court – The New York Times October 18, 2013
In Shadows, Hints of a Life and Even a Job for Snowden – The New York Times October 31, 2013
Justices Reject Challenge to N.S.A. Program – The New York Times November 18, 2013
NSA Surveillance Challenge Lands in Federal Court – ABC News November 22, 2013
U.S.-Germany Intelligence Partnership Falters Over Spying – The New York Times December 16, 2013
Judge Questions Legality of N.S.A. Phone Records – The New York Times December 16, 2013
A Powerful Rebuke of Mass Surveillance | Opinion – The New York Times December 16, 2013
After Ruling Critical of N.S.A., Uncertain Terrain for Appeal – The New York Times December 17, 2013
Snowden Offers Help to Brazil in Spy Case – The New York Times December 17, 2013
Obama Is Urged to Sharply Curb N.S.A. Data Mining – The New York Times December 18, 2013
Recommended Changes to the N.S.A. – The New York Times December 18, 2013
Turn Off the Data Vacuum | Opinion – The New York Times December 18, 2013
Judge Upholds N.S.A.’s Bulk Collection of Data on Calls – The New York Times December 27, 2013
This Week, Mass Surveillance Wins | Opinion – The New York Times December 27, 2013
A Deadly Mix in Benghazi – The New York Times December 28, 2013