Snowden (2016)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Edward Snowden

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Quotes 

• Edward Snowden : Terrorism is just an excuse.

• Edward Snowden : You ever hear about the Nuremberg trials, Trev? They weren't that long ago. Yeah, well, the big shots were the first trial, but then the next trial were just the judges, and lawyers, and policemen, and guards, and ordinary people just doing their jobs, following orders. That's where we got the Nuremberg principles, which then the UN made into international law, just in case ordinary jobs become criminal again.

• Edward Snowden : So, this is data collection for the month of March worldwide, emails and Skype calls. So France, 70 million. Germany, 500 million. Brazil, two billion. Inside the U.S., 3.1 billion emails and calls. That's not including any of the telecom company data.

  NSA Dep. Director Lowell : Okay, so what's the collection in Russia?

  Edward Snowden : Russia is 1.5 billion.

  NSA Dep. Director Lowell : Wait, so we're collecting twice as much in the U.S. as we are in Russia?

• Edward Snowden : I think the greatest freedom that I have gained, the fact that I don't have to worry about what happens tomorrow, Because I'm happy with what I've done Today.

• Edward Snowden : And ultimately, the truth sinks in that no matter what justification you're selling yourself, this is not about terrorism. Terrorism is the excuse. This is about economic and social control. And the only thing you're really protecting is the supremacy of your government.

• Edward Snowden : You didn't tell me we were running a dragnet on the whole world, Corbin.

• Edward Snowden : So, you're, um, an engineer?

  Hank Forrester : Am I an engineer? Instructor and counselor, too. I'm supposed to keep an eye on you CTs, make sure you don't buckle under the pressure. Turn to drugs and booze.

  Edward Snowden : Well, you won't have that problem with me. I don't drink or do drugs.

  Hank Forrester : What is your sin of choice?

  Edward Snowden : Uh, computers.

  Hank Forrester : Well, then, Snowden, you've come to the right little whorehouse.

• [first lines] 

  Glenn Greenwald : [sitting under a big green balloon alligator]  So?

  Laura Poitras : This is the only alligator.

  Glenn Greenwald : Four minutes past. We walk in one minute. He was clear on that.

  Laura Poitras : He's coming.

  Glenn Greenwald : No, he is too young to have that kind of access.

  Glenn Greenwald : [to Snowden as he walks up]  Uh, what time does the restaurant open?

  Edward Snowden : Noon. But the food is a bit too spicy. This way...

• Gabriel Sol : So think of it as a Google search, except instead of searching only what people make public, we're also looking at everything they don't. So... Emails, chats, SMS, whatever.

  Edward Snowden : Yeah, but which people?

  Gabriel Sol : The whole kingdom, Snow White.

• Edward Snowden : But Austria?

• Edward Snowden : No matter who you are, every day of your life, you're sitting in a database just ready to be looked at.

• Edward Snowden : And it's just gonna get worse for the next generation, as they extend the capabilities of this sort of architecture of oppression.

• Corbin O'Brian : What's the first rule of battle?

  Edward Snowden : Never reveal your position.

• Edward Snowden : Look, Mr. MacAskill, uh, this is not about money or anything for me. There's no hidden agenda. I just wanted to get this data to established journalists like yourselves, so that you can present it to the world, and the people can decide either I'm wrong or there's something going on inside the government that's really wrong.

• Edward Snowden : [seeing someone reported Online]  Is that it?