CHRIS Inglis, the head civilian in charge at the NSA when Edward Snowden’s leaks exploded, reflects 13 years on about the episode and what enterprises can learn from it. He notes that Snowden alleged abuses of privilege, but, according to the investigations he cites, the NSA was not abusing its authority; nonetheless the effects were the same, with Snowden’s disclosures hitting public trust and prompting a major reassessment of how information is collected.
Inglis highlights that the fall-out included terrorists and rogue states learning about NSA techniques for querying data, and that NSA later had to earn back the capabilities and implement extensive checks and balances to restore credibility. He cites Geoffrey Stone’s op-ed in spring 2014, emphasising that while Stone was initially skeptical of NSA, he concluded the agency was not rogue and deserved American trust, though the public compact requires transparency.
Looking back, Inglis argues that the key lessons include treating contractors more like integral staff, aligning physical and IT access, and telling the story upfront to safeguard trust, rather than waiting for a scandal to unfold.