Snowden Gets Whistleblower Award in Germany

-Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has become the winner of this year's Whistleblower Award established by German human rights organizations, the German branch of Transparency International said in a statement.

-"This year's winner of the Whistleblower Award is Edward Snowden," the statement posted on TI's Germany website Monday said.

-The award, established in 1999, is sponsored by the Association of German Scientists (VDW) and the German branch of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA).

-A VDW spokesperson told RIA Novosti on Monday that the award money, amounting to 3,000 euros, would be passed to Snowden through his representatives — either a lawyer or a "friendly" organization.

Source: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/snowden-gets-whistleblower-award-in-germany/483527.html

 

Well, not sure how proud I'd feel to get a whistleblower award, but I guess it is a way of showing the US that they don't support their new policies. Still don't get the major deal about all of this since we were told back when Bush was in office that they were tapping phones.

 

They were wire-tapping phones in the 1890s.

This award seems like it is more to do with drawing attention the givers rather than the receivers.

http://www.ipb.org/web/index.php?mostra=content&menu=Home

Does anybody known who else was in the running to get the award?

 

why does anyone even leak classified info, just play the waiting game and it all comes into light. Every year thousands of once classified documents are released into public domain and can be requested from the library of congress, because once a document becomes 20 years or older, it is no longer considered classified or eligible, because the public aint gonna riot over some shit that happened 20 years ago, or at least not enough to make our society collapse

 

'because the public aint gonna riot over some shit that happened 20 years ago, or at least not enough to make our society collapse.'
Clearly some people feel 20 years is too long.
#clearlymissingthepointofwhistleblowing

I do agree that most info will be revealed within time and sometimes it isn't in anyones interest to reveal secrets early.

But clearly other people do not agree...

 

Because this public domain release is a bit of a fallacy.
This little vid isn't about Snowden but Swartz and I think I may answer some questions as to the why behind hacktivists and whistle blowers.

http://ww3.tvo.org/video/193124/cory-doctorow-aaron-swartz-and-hacktivism