Waxing Brazilian

“These programs were never about terrorism: they’re about economic spying, social control and diplomatic manipulation. They’re about power.” In an open letter to Brazil, Edward Snowden appears to request asylum and offers to assist that country’s investigations into U.S. spying.

+ Here’s the full text of Snowden’s letter.

+ An NSA coworker remembers Snowden: “NSA is full of smart people, but anybody who sat in a meeting with Ed will tell you he was in a class of his own…I’ve never seen anything like it.”

+ Meanwhile, President Obama met with a bunch of tech execs to discuss the NSA controversy (and one assumes, to get some advice on how to build a website).

+ As always, there’s a conflict between our concern over spying and our willingness (and even desire) to share everything about ourselves. Would you let a smart toilet share your personal data? Most people say they would. Sidenote: If you ended up being a toilet, maybe you’re not all that smart.