NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has taken to Twitter — he’s offering valuable info from the get-go. One of Snowden’s recent tweets calls attention to advice for practicing “social media self-defense” by blogger Elle Armageddon (just guessing that’s not her real name). Armageddon provides a long list of best practices in order to “maintain an online presence while protecting one’s private life.” If you’re reading this, you’re online and even if you’re not an avid tweeter or Facebook user, it’s valuable info.
Armageddon describes herself (if she’s indeed a woman, that is) as a “Bay Area-born feminist, activist, blogger, glitter enthusiast, and smartass.” But the Snowden-recommended post is deadly serious, not glittery or smartass. Armageddon cautions against using the same photos on accounts you don’t want associated with each other, warning “reverse image search is a thing,” and it will get you (she uses saltier language). Armageddon compares social media to the film Fight Club, where the first and second rule are “Do not talk about Fight Club.” Persona maintenance, she advises, “requires constant vigilance.” These are social media practices Edward Snowden evidently thinks provide smart advice. Armageddon says elsewhere: “Every operating system is terrible. every internet browser is terrible. There is no hope.”
Want to protect yourself against NSA? Start at home. @OaklandElle: social media self-defense. http://t.co/CmiRflCpbW pic.twitter.com/JPWNKitwgz
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) October 1, 2015
