MOSCOW, July 4 (RIA Novosti) – The NSA’s XKeyscore surveillance software leak may come from a second source, not fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden, the Forbes magazine reported on Friday.
“Another expert said that s/he believed that this leak may come from a second source, not Edward Snowden, as s/he had not seen this in the original Snowden docs; and had seen other revelations that also appeared independent of the Snowden materials,” Cory Doctorow, Canadian-British journalist and writer, wrote on the blog Boing Boing.
Security technologist Bruce Schneier, who worked with journalist Glenn Greenwald to analyze the data leaked by Snowden, supported this opinion.
“And, since Cory said it, I do not believe that this came from the Snowden documents. I also don’t believe the TAO catalog came from the Snowden documents. I think there’s a second leaker out there,” the expert wrote on his website.
On Thursday, German TV broadcaster ARD published an analysis of NSA’s electronic surveillance program XKeyscore. It said that the program, for example, tracks the IP addresses of the Tor privacy-focused network users. Media had made some reports about XKeyscore before but this time the source of the leak is different, experts believe.
Last June Snowden leaked information about the extensive electronic surveillance programs conducted by the US government around the globe, including eavesdropping on American citizens and foreign leaders. The revelations have sparked domestic controversy and strained relations between the US and its allies.
The US authorities have rejected claims that Snowden is a whistleblower, insisting that he committed crimes and should stand trial at home. They charged Snowden with espionage and revoked his passport.
The 30-year-old has been residing in Russia for a little under a year, after local authorities granted him temporary asylum, which he sought in 21 countries. Snowden’s temporary asylum in Russia expires in August.
