【2008 Archives】

Edward Snowden warned us we were just an election away from surveillance-based tyranny.

In 2013008 Archives the former NSA contractor-turned whilstleblower spoke about the dangers of allowing a surveillance state to bloom before handing its powers to a president willing to use them for whatever he or she likes.

"A new leader will be elected, they'll flip the switch, say that because of the crisis, because of the dangers that we face in the world -- some new and unpredicted threat -- we need more authority, we need more power," Snowden said. "And there will be nothing the people can do at that point to oppose it. It will be turnkey tyranny."

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Enter Donald Trump, a man who mercilessly attacked political opponents in the run-up to his victory in Tuesday's presidential election, a man who has said he would love to have the "power" to hack his adversaries, who has called for an immigration ban for Muslims -- a group that dealt with intense government surveillance in the aftermath of 9/11.

The first part of Snowden's warning has come true. A man with authoritarianism on his mind has been elected president.

Now, we'll see if the second part of Snowden's warning follows the first.

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