Permanent Record
Reviewed by Oroba Tasnim Siddiqui
Author: Edward Snowden
ISBN: 978-1-5290-3565-0
Publisher: Macmillan
Pages: 336
In the wake of the catastrophe of 9/11, monitoring and surveillance
morphed into the daily lives of citzens worldwide but the extent to which
this surveillance advanced, was beyond the comprehension of the wide
public at the helm of this scrutny. In this regard, only an insider could reveal
the tyranny of these agencies to associate clearly what and how these
objectves were being undertaken. Edward Snowden not only accepted
it as his responsibility but also paid a heavy price by being stripped of his
badge of natonal identty as well as his comfort and ease - driving him to
this exposé.
Permanent Record is a rivetng tale of a young boy intrigued by the
peculiarites of technology more specifically computers. Disillusioned by
the system of grading that was laid out in front of him; he initated his
journey of hacking by cracking the code to pass through without having to
submit his homework. The early chapters of the book explain in detail how
this young boy, introvert and geeky, developed a unique thought process
through his passion for computer games and cyberspace.
Allegatons regarding his true agenda reflect clearly in the book
where Snowden tries to defend his patriotsm by discussing his ancestry,
not just in a passing manner, but in significant detail. It is commemorated
as a story of an individual who was so deeply engrossed in cyberspace that
it not only became his constant companion but his first love, rather than
just a pastme hobby. Snowden hints that it was through IT learning that he
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understood the mind-set of the people, as well as the universal community.
He atributes it to the reason behind his choice of partner and credits it
to helping him understand and analyse the systemic problems within his
country. It was perhaps due to his lapse in one on one communicaton that
it took him 10 years to truly perceive the truth behind the works of the
establishment.
The story is built with amusing anecdotes that provide accurate
insight into his mind, atemptng to explain his current standing. As a
teenager, he logged onto the website of a research laboratory where he
stumbled upon a security loophole. He called them up and lef them a
message apprising them of it, untl sometme later, when he was approached
by a man offering him a job in their company, which he declined since he
was prety busy at high school. Such incidents intricately woven together
in this book depict the journey of the man that he became.
He sells himself as an individual who was relentlessly unacceptng
of the status quo and gives us a peephole through which we can delve into
the worlds constructed by the establishment. His ingenious passion for
IT as the knife and intriguing, spy like nature as its razor sharp edge cuts
through the American security establishment, exposing the cross-secton
in a way any educated layman can understand. The details he provides
manifest the need to inform the ordinary global citzen of the havoc that
the security is wreaking upon such victms especially post 9/11.
The intelligence and informaton that is neatly embedded within
this book helps the reader realise why there was a sudden, deliberate shif
towards communicaton and related technologies by the United States in
the 80s when they emphasised upon the need to focus and prioritse these
for the next two decades. Their motves and objectves were shredded to
pieces by Snowden’s leaks in 2013 which in some ways was fuelled by the
crisis in 2008. In his words, it sowed the seeds of populism across Europe
and America, the testament of which manifested that the misery of the
people was in fact extravagantly beneficial for the elite - what may be
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described as the turning point in Snowden’s life.
However, this was not the first tme he made such a drastc move.
Following 9/11, he responded to the incident by signing up for the army as
a way to serve his country, despite oppositon from his parents. It was not
untl he had a bad fall and was invalidated that he actually spearheaded his
way through his incredible computer skills, which tll that point were more
a mater of love than a field of profession to be pursued. Once amidst the
secret keepers, he felt betrayed and deceived by the invasion in Iraq. “We
- me, you, all of us - were too trustng,” he writes. He failed to understand
why secrets were kept from the secret keepers themselves.
But he contnued to struggle. As a systems analyst, he acquired high
prestge and power as the sole person who could decipher the systems
of cyber intelligence. At full liberty to propose projects, he assimilated
how the Natonal Security Agency whilst technologically advanced, was
intrinsically weak in its security systems. Similarly, while it led the path to
cyber intelligence, it was smeared by obstructons and obstacles on its way
to cyber security. He also cracks open the dilemma of meta data, which
is a sharp contrast of actual content when it comes to surveillance, by
projectng behaviours and habits as the permanent record to be castrated
and conjured in tmes of need - an objectonable manner of handling
control over monitoring.
Permanent Record comes at a tme when news of Snowden’s
prosecuton is rife with speculaton. It is a crude source of informaton
that atempts to unveil the atrocites advocated through artficially
maneuvered intelligence. Nevertheless, it is not only an expose of the
exploitaton and enslavement that is backhandedly progressing, but also
encompasses shards of details of his personal life, his family, the love of
his life - Lindsay, and his years before and afer exile. It is a scintllatng tale
of a man who transcended the normalcy of human nature and presented
himself as a sacrifice to atempt to rid the world from the onslaught of
technological advancement and poor cyber security. It also appears to be
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a testmony of a man who loved his country beyond measure and could
not see it withering and faltering from the rights and libertes it assigns in
its consttuton.
With the discrepancy of informaton in sight of his six-year-long exile,
Permanent Record looks to respond to questons and queries seeping in
from all across the globe. It looks to explain, distnguish and elaborate
upon the need to be secure, safe, and informed whilst living amid such a
technologically induced environment. It does not dictate but harnesses
the mind to become absorbent and open to these harrowing realites.
According to Snowden, no movement, acton, or word escapes the
watchful eye of the security establishment, which conclusively suggested
in his own words “is the result of two decades of unchecked innovaton
- the final product of a politcal and professional class that dreams itself
your master. No mater the place, no mater the tme, and no mater what
you do, your life has now become an open book.”
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