Citizenfour
Directed by Laura Poitras
Staring Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald & William Binney
Directed, filmed, and produced by Laura Poirtas, Citizenfour is a documentary about exposing the truth and danger of mass surveillance in our present society. It takes the viewer on a thrilling journey of how the story unfolded away from the spotlight and gives a truly uncensored glimpse at the largest whistle blower in modern history and how it all began.
This is the final documentary in a trilogy made by Laura Poitras post 9/11 and follows on from My Country, My Country (2006) about the Iraq war and terrorism, and The Oath (2010) about Guantanamo.
In 2013 Laura Poitras was contacted by an anonymous source going by the alias 'Citizenfour' claiming to be a senior member of the intelligence community. This alias claimed United States National Security Agency (NSA) Director Keith Alexander lied to congress "which I can prove".
What followed next, led to Citizenfour.
The documentary starts with Laura explaining how she has become the target of increased surveillance, specifically around airports, and specifically after her previous films criticising the US. She later find out that while only being an innocent film maker, her identity had been added onto a secret US watch list.
Extracted communications between Poitras and -at that time using his alias 'Citizenfour'- Snowden, Snowden responded to questions "You asked why I picked you. I didn't. You did. The surveillance you've experienced means you've been selected" highlighting both that journalists are classified as threats to national security and that Snowden (then a 'Booz Allen Hamilton' private contractor) had access to such information.
Documents reported by The Intercept (a website setup in the wake of the Snowden revelations by Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald & Jeremy Scahill) show the lack of adherence to civil liberties in relation to an evidence based judicial process for being added onto the watch-list.
The Intercept also published an article showing the numbers behind such a program, it states:
This is the final documentary in a trilogy made by Laura Poitras post 9/11 and follows on from My Country, My Country (2006) about the Iraq war and terrorism, and The Oath (2010) about Guantanamo.
In 2013 Laura Poitras was contacted by an anonymous source going by the alias 'Citizenfour' claiming to be a senior member of the intelligence community. This alias claimed United States National Security Agency (NSA) Director Keith Alexander lied to congress "which I can prove".
What followed next, led to Citizenfour.
The documentary starts with Laura explaining how she has become the target of increased surveillance, specifically around airports, and specifically after her previous films criticising the US. She later find out that while only being an innocent film maker, her identity had been added onto a secret US watch list.
Extracted communications between Poitras and -at that time using his alias 'Citizenfour'- Snowden, Snowden responded to questions "You asked why I picked you. I didn't. You did. The surveillance you've experienced means you've been selected" highlighting both that journalists are classified as threats to national security and that Snowden (then a 'Booz Allen Hamilton' private contractor) had access to such information.
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| (Citizenfour) |
Documents reported by The Intercept (a website setup in the wake of the Snowden revelations by Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald & Jeremy Scahill) show the lack of adherence to civil liberties in relation to an evidence based judicial process for being added onto the watch-list.
The Intercept also published an article showing the numbers behind such a program, it states:
"Of the 680,000 people caught up in the government’s Terrorist Screening Database—a watchlist of “known or suspected terrorists” that is shared with local law enforcement agencies, private contractors, and foreign governments—more than 40 percent are described by the government as having “no recognized terrorist group affiliation.” That category—280,000 people—dwarfs the number of watchlisted people suspected of ties to al Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah combined."... "16,000 people, including 1,200 Americans, have been classified as “selectees” who are targeted for enhanced screenings at airports and border crossings."
What this shows is an apparent lack of consideration for privacy and transparency within one of the most powerful government organisations in the world.
As was the case for the owner of 'Lavabit' (an encrypted email service) Ladar Levison, who decided against handing over private encryption keys to the NSA, and was subsequently forced to shut down his business. In the documentary Ladar Levison said:
The debate of privacy around surveillance is a two part question. How much privacy should we forefit to government, and, what safeguards need be in place to protect this private information.
Two stories that set this discussion off were The Guardian's VERIZON article and PRISM article.
It should come as no surprise that previously recorded hearings into the actions of the NSA show one of the reasons why Snowden felt obliged to whistleblow on the NSA and the spy industry he worked in for many years?
As was the case for the owner of 'Lavabit' (an encrypted email service) Ladar Levison, who decided against handing over private encryption keys to the NSA, and was subsequently forced to shut down his business. In the documentary Ladar Levison said:
"It's supposed to be difficult to invade somebodies privacy, because of how intrusive it is, because of how disruptive it is.
"What good is the right to free speech, if it's not protected in the sense that you can't have a private discussion?
Post by Citizenfour.
The debate of privacy around surveillance is a two part question. How much privacy should we forefit to government, and, what safeguards need be in place to protect this private information.
Two stories that set this discussion off were The Guardian's VERIZON article and PRISM article.
It should come as no surprise that previously recorded hearings into the actions of the NSA show one of the reasons why Snowden felt obliged to whistleblow on the NSA and the spy industry he worked in for many years?
What does this say about the state of democracy when high ranking officials knowingly misinform the institutions defending democracy and have not been held accountable?
Indeed, there is far more focus on catching whistleblowers than on solving any of the concerns to democracy, civil liberties and privacy that have been raised thanks to the courageous efforts by whistleblowers Daniel Ellsberg, Chelsea Manning, William Binney and Edward Snowden.
During conversations in Hong Kong, Snowden talked candidly about the level of unfettered access he was granted as a contractor. In the documentary Snowden informs Ewan MacAskill (a The Guardian reporter that accompanied Greenwald and Poitras) that the British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) has "probably the most invasive network intercept program in
the world" because it is a "full take" program that includes content and meta data on everything.
The program was called 'Operation Tempora'.
Snowden tells Laura that the NSA love the 'Tempora' program because "they aren't allows to do it in the US. The UK lets us query it all day long".
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| (Citizenfour) |
The Guardian later publishes the article, however after legal intimidation from Downing street and under the watchful eye of two GCHQ employees, they chose to destroy their copy of the Snowden files and avoid legal action.
What this documentary does so well is engage the viewer in a conversation that isn't patronising but thought provoking.
It shows the apparatus of mass surveillance, watch-lists, state hacking, privacy and democracy in a realistic way, that these topics are no longer in the realm of science fiction. They are unequivocal fact.
For this reason, everyone from the most avid Snowden reader to a newcomer of civil liberties, everyone with an understanding of computers and those without, everyone from the age of 8 - 80, should make it a priority to watch this documentary.
At the end of the day, whether the powers of spy agencies were used or abused does not dilute the true meaning of the film, that without discussion between the elected and the electorate we not only threaten our privacy but the very foundations of democracy these programs were designed to protect.
End Note:
If you would like to read more about the NSA revelations, you can find information at The Intercept, The Guardian, Der Spiegel and Democracy Now.
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