14 DAY TRIAL // It seems that the spies are more concerned about the documents Snowden got from the NSA and that the whistleblower hasn’t shared with the media, than the ones he has.
According to Reuters, US officials are worried about the “doomsday” cache of highly classified, heavily encrypted Snowden might have gotten his hands on and that he supposedly stored on a data cloud. The documents were generated not only by the NSA, but also by other agencies and might include names of US and allied intelligence personnel.
Anonymous sources also indicate that the data is protected with sophisticated encryption and multiple passwords.
The material is believed to be Snowden’s insurance policy in case he disappears. As it was previously revealed, Snowden has set a “dead-man’s switch” on a set of documents that he doesn’t intend to share with the media, but that would reach a number of individuals in case anything happens to him.
So far, only a small portion of the files Snowden shared with journalists was published and estimates indicate that they could have materials for about two more years. “The worst is yet to come,” one official believes.
While some NSA officials have said they know exactly what Snowden took, it was revealed by director Keith Alexander that they actually have no idea, estimating somewhere between 50,000 and 200,000 classified files.
So far, about 500 files were used for reporting indicates Cryptome, a website that specializes in leaking secret documents.
Up until now reports have been published on a number of countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, all members of the Five Eyes. New Zealand’s prime minister revealed that it’s rather inevitable for reports about his country to be published sooner rather than later. Also, more reporting on Canada is apparently on its way, given by statements made by journalists that have access to the Snowden stash.