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CIA slammed as 'criminal organization' after Snowden tweets agency 'is not your friend'

Snowden shared the tweet on February 11, with a link to a Washington Post article about the CIA's controversial data collection practices

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden sparked a discussion on the controversial practices of the CIA after a new report alleged the agency has a secret, undisclosed data repository containing information collected about Americans.

Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico -- two Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee -- alleged the CIA had long hidden details about the program from the public and Congress. The senators sent a letter to top intelligence officials demanding more details about the program to be declassified. Wyden and Heinrich alleged that the program operated “outside the statutory framework that Congress and the public believe govern this collection.”

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"The CIA is not your friend. The CIA is not a friend of the United States. The CIA is a friend of power, and power alone," Snowden tweeted on Friday, February 11, sharing alongside a link to a Washington Post article about the CIA's controversial data collection practices.

Snowden's post sparked a wave of reactions on social media. "The CIA is a greater threat to US national security and US civil liberties than any external enemy," Rutgers Prof Richard Ebright tweeted.

"What @Snowden told us turns out to be the truth. How can he remain to be “a traitor” after this is the big question. CIA spies on Americans, so how is this any better than what they do in police, authoritarian states? Is this supposed to make everyone accept the surveillance?" journalist Ksenija Pavlovic McAteer added.

"I could swear you mentioned something about this years ago. But nobody listened... Except the CIA..." one tweeted.

"Anyone who's a friend with only power is an enemy of Freedom," another wrote.

"It's almost like the CIA is a criminal organization," someone else chimed in

Intelligence agencies are required to ensure that US information is protected and no names of American citizens are revealed unless they are linked to an investigation. Meanwhile, the process of reversing redactions is known as "unmasking."

“CIA recognizes and takes very seriously our obligation to respect the privacy and civil liberties of U.S. persons in the conduct of our vital national security mission,” Kristi Scott, the agency's privacy and civil liberties officer, said in a statement. “CIA is committed to transparency consistent with our obligation to protect intelligence sources and methods.”

Senators Wyden and Heinrich have long advocated for more transparency from intelligence agencies. Wyden made waves nearly a decade ago when he asked the nation's spy chief about the NSA's mass surveillance programs. In 2013, Wyden asked then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper if the NSA collected “any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans.” Clapper responded by saying "No" but later added, "Not wittingly." 

Later that year, former systems administrator Snowden revealed how the NSA accessed bulk data through American internet companies and millions of call records from telecom providers. These revelations sparked a major uproar across the globe and prompted new legislation in Congress. Clapper later apologized to the Senate Intelligence Committee in a letter, saying his response to Wyden was "clearly erroneous."