A former National Security Agency director said Edward Snowden is most likely being controlled by the Russian intelligence agencies since being granted asylum in the country, Reuters reported.
According to former NSA Director General Keith Alexander made the comments about Snowden during an interview with The Australian Financial Review newspaper, according to Reuters. The interview will be published on Thursday, but a transcript was made available to Reuters ahead of publication.
"I think he is now being manipulated by Russian intelligence. I just don't know when that exactly started or how deep it runs," Alexander said, Reuters reported. "Understand as well that they're only going to let him do those things that benefit Russia, or stand to help improve Snowden's credibility. They're not going to do things that would hurt themselves. And they're not going to allow him to do it."
Snowden fled to Moscow last year and expects his temporary asylum status in Russia to be renewed before it expires in summer, according to his lawyer, according to Reuters.
In the interview, Alexander described a traditional global security order that has been disrupted by rapid developments in offensive cyber technology, with the potential for unintended consequences rising as a result, Reuters reported.
"I'm concerned there is a rising chance that individuals and/or nation states miscalculate because they don't know where the red lines are. And this problem of a lack of transparency on red lines, and agreed escalation protocols, is especially acute in cyber-space," Alexander said, according to Reuters.
Alexander was succeeded by Navy Vice Admiral Michael Rogers, who also signaled his concern over Chinese claims on the oil and gas-rich South China Sea that have increased tension in Asia, Reuters reported. Rogers also argues that the U.S. should back Japan as a counterbalance Beijing's rise.
"If China continues to act aggressively, I believe we should welcome Japan's increased militarization," Rogers said, according to Reuters. Last year, Rogers praised Australia's decision to ban China's Huawei Technologies from bidding for work on the country's $38 billion National Broadband Network over cyber-security concerns.
