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| Editor Details State Tactics After Leaks by Snowden | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The top editor of the British newspaper The Guardian told Parliament on Tuesday that since it had obtained documents on government surveillance from a former National Security Agency contractor, Edward J. Snowden, it has been subjected to measures “designed to intimidate” and has met with government agencies in Britain and the United States more than 100 times. | The top editor of the British newspaper The Guardian told Parliament on Tuesday that since it had obtained documents on government surveillance from a former National Security Agency contractor, Edward J. Snowden, it has been subjected to measures “designed to intimidate” and has met with government agencies in Britain and the United States more than 100 times. |
| The editor, Alan Rusbridger, said that the governments’ measures “include prior restraint,” as well as visits by officials to his office, the destruction of Guardian computer disks with power tools and repeated calls from lawmakers “asking police to prosecute” The Guardian for disclosing the classified material in news articles. | The editor, Alan Rusbridger, said that the governments’ measures “include prior restraint,” as well as visits by officials to his office, the destruction of Guardian computer disks with power tools and repeated calls from lawmakers “asking police to prosecute” The Guardian for disclosing the classified material in news articles. |
| Mr. Rusbridger was testifying before a Parliamentary committee looking into national security matters. He was questioned aggressively by lawmakers, particularly those of the ruling Conservative Party. Some said the paper had handled the material irresponsibly, putting it at risk of interception by hostile governments. Others said the paper had jeopardized national security. | Mr. Rusbridger was testifying before a Parliamentary committee looking into national security matters. He was questioned aggressively by lawmakers, particularly those of the ruling Conservative Party. Some said the paper had handled the material irresponsibly, putting it at risk of interception by hostile governments. Others said the paper had jeopardized national security. |
| His testimony gave a public airing to the debate over how to balance press freedom against national security concerns, an issue that became more acute once The Guardian began publishing material leaked by Mr. Snowden in June. | His testimony gave a public airing to the debate over how to balance press freedom against national security concerns, an issue that became more acute once The Guardian began publishing material leaked by Mr. Snowden in June. |
| The American and British governments have said the disclosures, which detail how the National Security Agency and its equivalent in Britain, Government Communication Headquarters, gather vast amounts of data, damage national security and help hostile governments. Journalists and transparency advocates have countered that the leak spurred a vital debate on privacy and the role of spy agencies in the Internet age. | The American and British governments have said the disclosures, which detail how the National Security Agency and its equivalent in Britain, Government Communication Headquarters, gather vast amounts of data, damage national security and help hostile governments. Journalists and transparency advocates have countered that the leak spurred a vital debate on privacy and the role of spy agencies in the Internet age. |
| At one point during the hearing, Mr. Rusbridger was asked, to his evident surprise, whether he loved his country. He answered yes, noting that he valued its democracy and free press. | At one point during the hearing, Mr. Rusbridger was asked, to his evident surprise, whether he loved his country. He answered yes, noting that he valued its democracy and free press. |
| He also said The Guardian would “not be put off by intimidation” but would not act recklessly. | He also said The Guardian would “not be put off by intimidation” but would not act recklessly. |
| After Mr. Rusbridger appeared before the committee, a senior British police officer, Cressida Dick, refused to rule out prosecutions as part of an investigation into the matter. | After Mr. Rusbridger appeared before the committee, a senior British police officer, Cressida Dick, refused to rule out prosecutions as part of an investigation into the matter. |
| “It appears possible once we look at the material that some people may have committed offenses,” she said. | “It appears possible once we look at the material that some people may have committed offenses,” she said. |
| Newspapers, particularly those that have dealt with Mr. Snowden’s material, have also been trying to adjust to a new reporting environment that sometimes resembles a spy novel, security experts and journalists said, as governments aggressively investigate leaks of sensitive material and others seek to gain access to it as well. | Newspapers, particularly those that have dealt with Mr. Snowden’s material, have also been trying to adjust to a new reporting environment that sometimes resembles a spy novel, security experts and journalists said, as governments aggressively investigate leaks of sensitive material and others seek to gain access to it as well. |
| “The old model was kind of like your house,” said Marc Frons, the chief information officer of The New York Times. “You locked your front door and windows, but not your desk drawer, even if it had your passport inside. In the new model, you have locks on everything.” The Guardian, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal declined to comment about internal security arrangements. | “The old model was kind of like your house,” said Marc Frons, the chief information officer of The New York Times. “You locked your front door and windows, but not your desk drawer, even if it had your passport inside. In the new model, you have locks on everything.” The Guardian, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal declined to comment about internal security arrangements. |
| But Mr. Rusbridger told Parliament that the newspaper was “not blind to the sensitivity of this material, and we went to more precautions over this material than any other story we have ever handled.” | But Mr. Rusbridger told Parliament that the newspaper was “not blind to the sensitivity of this material, and we went to more precautions over this material than any other story we have ever handled.” |
| Senior editors at The Guardian were initially skeptical this year when asked to hand over their cellphones before discussing Mr. Snowden’s documents, said a person with knowledge of the reporting process, who did not want to be named discussing confidential security procedures. | Senior editors at The Guardian were initially skeptical this year when asked to hand over their cellphones before discussing Mr. Snowden’s documents, said a person with knowledge of the reporting process, who did not want to be named discussing confidential security procedures. |
| That soon changed when they reviewed the information Mr. Snowden had supplied, this person said. The documents, they came to realize, would be of intense interest to any of several parties — the American and British governments, from which they were taken, other governments like China and Russia seeking an espionage edge and hackers seeking to embarrass either government agencies or the publications writing articles about the material. | That soon changed when they reviewed the information Mr. Snowden had supplied, this person said. The documents, they came to realize, would be of intense interest to any of several parties — the American and British governments, from which they were taken, other governments like China and Russia seeking an espionage edge and hackers seeking to embarrass either government agencies or the publications writing articles about the material. |
| Eventually, skepticism about the precautions receded, and the same editors insisted that meetings be held in rooms without windows and that any electronic devices nearby be unplugged. Computers that contained the information could never be connected to the Internet. And reporters who needed to consult with colleagues in other countries about the documents had to fly them over physically and meet in person, despite the extra costs. On one occasion, Mr. Rusbridger said on Tuesday, encrypted documents were sent via Federal Express. | Eventually, skepticism about the precautions receded, and the same editors insisted that meetings be held in rooms without windows and that any electronic devices nearby be unplugged. Computers that contained the information could never be connected to the Internet. And reporters who needed to consult with colleagues in other countries about the documents had to fly them over physically and meet in person, despite the extra costs. On one occasion, Mr. Rusbridger said on Tuesday, encrypted documents were sent via Federal Express. |
| Nicholas Weaver, a computer security researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, said effective countermeasures for all reporters covering such issues begin with first contact with a source. | Nicholas Weaver, a computer security researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, said effective countermeasures for all reporters covering such issues begin with first contact with a source. |
| Noting that electronic devices “leave fingerprints everywhere you go,” he described precautions for news gatherers. “Leave all your high-tech gadgets at home; meet in a public location that’s kind of noisy, and wear a hat so you don’t get caught on camera.” | Noting that electronic devices “leave fingerprints everywhere you go,” he described precautions for news gatherers. “Leave all your high-tech gadgets at home; meet in a public location that’s kind of noisy, and wear a hat so you don’t get caught on camera.” |
| “You have to walk there, because we have this network of license plate readers now,” he said, or buy a transit ticket with cash and dispose of it afterward. As for making first contact with a sensitive source, Mr. Weaver said, “You have to wait for them to contact you.” Trench coats are optional. | “You have to walk there, because we have this network of license plate readers now,” he said, or buy a transit ticket with cash and dispose of it afterward. As for making first contact with a sensitive source, Mr. Weaver said, “You have to wait for them to contact you.” Trench coats are optional. |
| Communicating with existing sources, said Ashkan Soltani, a security expert and reporter who has worked with The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, should be done on a computer isolated from all other “promiscuous communications” like web browsing and downloading files, to avoid the secret installation of malicious software to monitor activity. | Communicating with existing sources, said Ashkan Soltani, a security expert and reporter who has worked with The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, should be done on a computer isolated from all other “promiscuous communications” like web browsing and downloading files, to avoid the secret installation of malicious software to monitor activity. |
| “If the computers have malware, no amount of secure email, no amount of encryption is going to help,” he said. The threat is not abstract: Several news organizations have been victimized by hacking in recent years. In 2012, Chinese hackers infiltrated The New York Times’s systems, seeking access to reporters’ inboxes. | “If the computers have malware, no amount of secure email, no amount of encryption is going to help,” he said. The threat is not abstract: Several news organizations have been victimized by hacking in recent years. In 2012, Chinese hackers infiltrated The New York Times’s systems, seeking access to reporters’ inboxes. |
| The United States government, too, seeks access to email information involving news organizations. Several secret subpoenas to companies like Google for data related to accounts linked with WikiLeaks have surfaced. | The United States government, too, seeks access to email information involving news organizations. Several secret subpoenas to companies like Google for data related to accounts linked with WikiLeaks have surfaced. |
| Ultimately, Mr. Soltani said, sensible security might take the shape of special computers issued to those in high-risk reporting roles. But that will most likely take time. “It’s hard to change a newsroom, harder to change a company’s network and even harder to change human behavior,” he said. | Ultimately, Mr. Soltani said, sensible security might take the shape of special computers issued to those in high-risk reporting roles. But that will most likely take time. “It’s hard to change a newsroom, harder to change a company’s network and even harder to change human behavior,” he said. |
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: | This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: |
| Correction: December 3, 2013 | Correction: December 3, 2013 |
An earlier version of this article gave an incorrect date for the seizure of telephone records from some Associated Press reporters by the Justice Department and when the company found out about the action. The phone records were seized in 2013, not 2012. The company did not find out for up to 90 days, not nearly a year. | An earlier version of this article gave an incorrect date for the seizure of telephone records from some Associated Press reporters by the Justice Department and when the company found out about the action. The phone records were seized in 2013, not 2012. The company did not find out for up to 90 days, not nearly a year. |