Snowden's Box: Trust in the Age of Surveillance

In 2013, Edward Snowden sent a box of documents to filmmaker Laura Poitras through the US Postal Service, launching the biggest national security leak of the digital era. Two journalists, Jessica Bruder and Dale Maharidge, were involved in helping bring Snowden's leaks to light, revealing the ironic details of the story.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 23 February 2021
Publisher: Verso Books

One day in the spring of 2013, a box appeared outside a fourth-floor apartment door in Brooklyn, New York. The recipient, who didn't know the sender, only knew she was supposed to bring this box to a friend, who would ferry it to another friend. This was Edward Snowden's box—printouts of documents proving that the US government had built a massive surveillance apparatus and used it to spy on its own people—and the friend on the end of this chain was filmmaker Laura Poitras. Thus, the biggest national security leak of the digital era was launched via a remarkably analog network, the US Postal Service. This is just one of the odd, ironic details that emerges from the story of how Jessica Bruder and Dale Maharidge, two experienced journalists but security novices (and the friends who received and ferried the box) got drawn into the Snowden story as behind-the-scenes players. Their initially stumbling, increasingly paranoid, and sometimes comic efforts to help bring Snowden's leaks to light, and ultimately, to understand their significance, unfold in an engrossing narrative that includes emails and diary entries from Poitras. This is an illuminating essay on the status of transparency, privacy, and trust in the age of surveillance.

Introduction:
In the spring of 2013, a box containing sensitive documents revealing the extent of the US government's surveillance apparatus appeared outside a fourth-floor apartment door in Brooklyn, New York. The recipient, who didn't know the sender, was tasked with delivering the box to a friend who would then transport it to another friend. Unbeknownst to the recipient, this chain of friends was part of a larger operation orchestrated by Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who had leaked the documents.

The Chain of Friends:
The recipient of the box was a journalist named Jessica Bruder, who had been working on a story about government surveillance. She had received an email from a source who claimed to have information about a massive surveillance program run by the NSA. The source asked Bruder to meet with a friend named Dale Maharidge, who was also a journalist and had experience in security.

Meeting with Dale Maharidge:
Bruder and Maharidge met at a coffee shop in Brooklyn, where the source introduced them to each other. The source told them that the box contained documents that would expose the extent of the government's surveillance program and that they needed to be delivered to a friend of theirs named Laura Poitras.

Laura Poitras:
Laura Poitras was a filmmaker who had been working on a documentary about Edward Snowden and the NSA's surveillance programs. She had been in contact with Snowden since 2012 and had been gathering information about his activities.

The Delivery:
Bruder and Maharidge were tasked with delivering the box to Laura Poitras. They were given instructions on how to find her and where to drop off the box. They were also warned that they needed to be careful and not to attract any attention to themselves.

The Receipt of the Box:
Bruder and Maharidge delivered the box to Laura Poitras's apartment in New York City. Poitras was surprised to receive the box and immediately began reviewing the documents inside.

The Significance of the Leaks:
The leaks that Edward Snowden had provided to Laura Poitras were significant in many ways. They exposed the extent of the government's surveillance program, which had been operating without the knowledge or consent of the American people. The leaks also revealed that the government had been collecting data on millions of individuals, including phone records, email messages, and social media posts.

The Response:
The response to the leaks was swift and harsh. The US government launched a massive investigation into Edward Snowden and his associates, and several people were charged with crimes related to the leaks. Snowden himself fled to Russia, where he has been granted political asylum.

Conclusion:
The story of how Jessica Bruder and Dale Maharidge got drawn into the Snowden story as behind-the-scenes players is an intriguing one. It highlights the importance of transparency, privacy, and trust in the age of surveillance. The leaks that Edward Snowden provided to Laura Poitras were a wake-up call to the American people and helped to bring attention to the issue of government surveillance.

Weight: 162g
Dimension: 129 x 197 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781788733441