Exactly, except for the logging part: It would appear that either Snowden was able to circumvent the logging policies via his admin privs or they were not in place.

When I was head of an IT division within lockheed (non-classified) I could have accessed anything - with admin accounts i was the sole owner of. I was ethically precluded from doing so...

At a company where there is "open access" with "logging the shit out of access (e.g. Facebook) -- then this situation could arise where an arbitrary employee could access any data, assuming they had the knowledge of where to find the info they were looking for, didn't get caught and the logging was either faulty, ignored or fictitious -- or the employee used an account other than their own to avoid suspicions.

It would be interesting,actually, to understand to what deep level of privs B.A.H - as a company - was afforded to NSA data/systems/programs/etc...

One thing I am not clear on is how this employee of a 3rd party def contractor (albeit, supposedly the biggest to the NSA) was able to access information that is considered to be so deeply secret to the USG? Is this an indication that a significantly "important" program (PRISM) was, for the most part, outsourced to be run by contractors such as Snowden within BAH?

Did Snowden systematically seek out, deftly, access to information over a long period of time through his privs afforded him as a sys ad? This to me is the most intriguing and unknown part: For how long was Snowden planning this? Was this something he truly accomplished on his own? Or was there a cast of supporting characters that we are unaware of"

If there is no supporting characters who helped him put this together - that this guy is one of the most brilliant high-school drop-outs I have heard of.

If there is a cast of supporting characters were they operating as whistleblowers in support of the seemingly patriotic reveal that we have thus far seen?

Or was there a supporting cast of characters that have helped snowden architect this whole event, masterfully - it seems, for a motive that we, the outsiders, are not yet aware: There seem to be three possible realities if this is true:

1) Snowden plus team is a smokescreen designed to purposefully air this info to further the surveillance agenda by seeing how far the world acquiesces to it. Stir up a reaction that can result in tighter controls of liberty when protesting pops up and the USG can claim that these are all threats to our national security and these efforts are vital.

2) Snowden plus team are truly patriots and heroes and are looking to stop the furtherance of USG/tyranny over individual freedom and are airing this info to allow for an open dialogue.

3) Snowden and team really are double/triple agents and are an attack on the USG directly attempting to make the USG look bad and have the US lose face/credibility...

(I am sure there are countless other potential scenarios that the NSA/USG have mapped out... I would be REALLY interested in hearing them for consideration)

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My personal opinion is simple - I am very happy this series of events has taken place as I have known of Echelon for decades - and now feel that there is 100% irrefutable proof that it is in place... what the next steps are is unclear, but I hope that it is an awakening and invigoration of people all over the world to fight to make this place a better world to live in rather than a worse one.