‘Edward Snowden taught terrorists how to avoid being caught’ – Boris Johnson
London Mayor Boris Johnson has blamed NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden for teaching terrorists “how to avoid being caught” and urged the UK government to fast-track its new surveillance bill in the wake of Friday’s Paris massacre.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph on Sunday, Johnson said: “To some people the whistleblower Edward Snowden is a hero; not to me. It is pretty clear that his bean-spilling has taught some of the nastiest people on the planet how to avoid being caught; and when the story of the Paris massacre is explained, I would like a better understanding of how so many operatives were able to conspire, and attack multiple locations, without some of their electronic chatter reaching the ears of the police.”
The mayor also urged expediting the new surveillance bill currently being considered by the government. Although an attack of the scale seen in Paris is unlikely in London, it is not possible to “rule it out completely,” he said.
“I have less and less sympathy with those who oppose the new surveillance powers that the government would like to give the security services.”
The government’s Investigatory Powers Bill, which was unveiled in draft form two weeks ago, would give security agencies the power to impose obligations on telecommunications companies to hand over data. It would also allow the government to hack computers and smartphones in order to obtain data.
