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Comment by rdl | Hacker News Reader

I actually don't think Hong Kong was a great choice, as it brings up the whole question of foreign intelligence service involvement. He absolutely should have picked a common law jurisdiction (like Hong Kong), and probably not US/UK/Canada, but NZ would have worked pretty well.

He's not "in hiding" from the intelligence services. I suspect even second tier countries know where he is.

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I'm sure Kim Dotcom thought his move to NZ had "worked pretty well".

It did. It wasn't without it's hiccups. But, there he is in NZ still doing two things that he apparently loves to do, trolling and making money.

He trolls Hollywood interests, Snowden is effectively trolling the whole US government; the difference is of some importance.

NZ was in the original Echelon program, in terms of intelligence they fall squarely in line with GCHQ and friends. It's really one of the worst locations he could choose, right after the US and Britain.

NZ is better than US, UK, Canada, or AU.

Hong Kong also does not have a CIA/NSA/GCHQ/MI-6/MSS type agency. Your statement make me think Snowden saw the level of cooperation on the intel side and picked someone without a horse in the race.

Everyone is active in Hong Kong, and the Chinese military and intelligence organizations are the "home team".

I agree that Snowden is better off in HK, I was just responding to the comment WRT Kim Dotcom.

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