Al Gore speaking in 2008. (Photo: (CC) JD Lasica, socialmedia.biz)
Nov 07, 2013
Former Vice President Al Gore said that the "outrageous" and "completely unacceptable" surveillance revealed by National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden showed possible "crimes against the Constitution."
Gore made the comments Tuesday in a public lecture entitled Technology and the Future of Democratization at McGill University in Montreal, The Canadian Press reports.
The "absurd" lengths the government is going to in its surveillance don't work, Gore told the university crowd. "When you are looking for a needle in a haystack, it's not always wise to pile more hay on the haystack."
Denouncing the dragnet surveillance Snowden exposed, Gore added, "I say that as someone who was a member of the National Security Council working in the White House and getting daily briefings from the CIA."
This was not the first time Gore has voiced criticism of the NSA's surveillance programs; in an interview with the Guardian in June, he said that the agency's bulk collection of U.S. citizens' phone records "in my view violates the constitution. The Fourth Amendment and the First Amendment - and the Fourth Amendment language is crystal clear. It is not acceptable to have a secret interpretation of a law that goes far beyond any reasonable reading of either the law or the constitution and then classify as top secret what the actual law is."
Also, earlier in June when the first headline on NSA surveillance broke, Gore tweeted:
\u201cIn digital era, privacy must be a priority. Is it just me, or is secret blanket surveillance obscenely outrageous? https://t.co/KONSBtTWjc\u201d— Al Gore (@Al Gore) 1370482765
During his speech in Montreal, Gore echoed the comments he made to the Guardian, saying that that Snowden "has revealed evidence of what appears to be crimes against the Constitution of the United States." Yet the former vice president offered some optimism, saying, "I think you will see a reining in."
In addition to government surveillance, Gore slammed corporations' data mining to obtain customer information, charging, "We have a stalker economy."
"These times now call for young men and women such as you to shape the future and make it what it should be," Gore said.
_____________________
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Former Vice President Al Gore said that the "outrageous" and "completely unacceptable" surveillance revealed by National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden showed possible "crimes against the Constitution."
Gore made the comments Tuesday in a public lecture entitled Technology and the Future of Democratization at McGill University in Montreal, The Canadian Press reports.
The "absurd" lengths the government is going to in its surveillance don't work, Gore told the university crowd. "When you are looking for a needle in a haystack, it's not always wise to pile more hay on the haystack."
Denouncing the dragnet surveillance Snowden exposed, Gore added, "I say that as someone who was a member of the National Security Council working in the White House and getting daily briefings from the CIA."
This was not the first time Gore has voiced criticism of the NSA's surveillance programs; in an interview with the Guardian in June, he said that the agency's bulk collection of U.S. citizens' phone records "in my view violates the constitution. The Fourth Amendment and the First Amendment - and the Fourth Amendment language is crystal clear. It is not acceptable to have a secret interpretation of a law that goes far beyond any reasonable reading of either the law or the constitution and then classify as top secret what the actual law is."
Also, earlier in June when the first headline on NSA surveillance broke, Gore tweeted:
\u201cIn digital era, privacy must be a priority. Is it just me, or is secret blanket surveillance obscenely outrageous? https://t.co/KONSBtTWjc\u201d— Al Gore (@Al Gore) 1370482765
During his speech in Montreal, Gore echoed the comments he made to the Guardian, saying that that Snowden "has revealed evidence of what appears to be crimes against the Constitution of the United States." Yet the former vice president offered some optimism, saying, "I think you will see a reining in."
In addition to government surveillance, Gore slammed corporations' data mining to obtain customer information, charging, "We have a stalker economy."
"These times now call for young men and women such as you to shape the future and make it what it should be," Gore said.
_____________________
Former Vice President Al Gore said that the "outrageous" and "completely unacceptable" surveillance revealed by National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden showed possible "crimes against the Constitution."
Gore made the comments Tuesday in a public lecture entitled Technology and the Future of Democratization at McGill University in Montreal, The Canadian Press reports.
The "absurd" lengths the government is going to in its surveillance don't work, Gore told the university crowd. "When you are looking for a needle in a haystack, it's not always wise to pile more hay on the haystack."
Denouncing the dragnet surveillance Snowden exposed, Gore added, "I say that as someone who was a member of the National Security Council working in the White House and getting daily briefings from the CIA."
This was not the first time Gore has voiced criticism of the NSA's surveillance programs; in an interview with the Guardian in June, he said that the agency's bulk collection of U.S. citizens' phone records "in my view violates the constitution. The Fourth Amendment and the First Amendment - and the Fourth Amendment language is crystal clear. It is not acceptable to have a secret interpretation of a law that goes far beyond any reasonable reading of either the law or the constitution and then classify as top secret what the actual law is."
Also, earlier in June when the first headline on NSA surveillance broke, Gore tweeted:
\u201cIn digital era, privacy must be a priority. Is it just me, or is secret blanket surveillance obscenely outrageous? https://t.co/KONSBtTWjc\u201d— Al Gore (@Al Gore) 1370482765
During his speech in Montreal, Gore echoed the comments he made to the Guardian, saying that that Snowden "has revealed evidence of what appears to be crimes against the Constitution of the United States." Yet the former vice president offered some optimism, saying, "I think you will see a reining in."
In addition to government surveillance, Gore slammed corporations' data mining to obtain customer information, charging, "We have a stalker economy."
"These times now call for young men and women such as you to shape the future and make it what it should be," Gore said.
_____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.