12 July 2013 - compartmented NSA

The NSA leak is a security failure in more than one way. The NSA is supposed to be a compartmented organization so that only higher-ups see the whole picture. How did Edward Snowden, a mere tech worker and outside contractor, ever come to know so much? Surely “mere” is the answer: The servants are beneath notice. Doesn’t that suggest that the NSA follows a poor strategy? If they were quietly helpful like Google then people would freely give them the same data.