He hasn't taken a deep-dive into the protocol, as you can see from his quote regarding 51% attacks - he views that as a fatal flaw, as the rest of us understand that such an attack takes enormous resources not only to mount, but to maintain such a position.
Not to mention it would be kinda pointless for them to do as far as I understand.
I think he has other things on his mind, most notably extending his stay in the former USSR or getting asylum in another country to prevent his extradition. That's what I chalk it all down to, he read some bullet list somewhere and didn't really take the time to consider the system in its entirety.
Another credible interpretation is that he is a propagandist, using his "credentials" to promote the views of his handlers. Snowden is a very suspicious character when you look closely at the details surrounding the events of his 2013 "manhunt" and of his life history in general.
What was suspicious about him?
He wasn't just any surveillance IT contractor, he was a long term CIA recruit. The circumstances surrounding the international manhunt were not totally plausible (he had developed connections to high ups in the IT surveillance field, but was apparently not being watched). The details of how he managed to collect his whistleblowing material were also implausible, although I've only just remembered that point and have forgotten the details. Glenn Greenwald is also highly suspect, the organisation (Salon magazine/Omidyaar Networks) he sold the Snowden leaks to have direct connections to... BoozAllenHamilton.
There's more, if you have time for a podcast or three:
Tom Secker Clandestime:
https://vimeo.com/channels/clandestime/133790151Pearse Redmond Porkins Policy Review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy0vwq8ycekTom Secker Clandestime:
https://vimeo.com/channels/clandestime/133789142The detailed examination of Snowden is in the Pearse Redmond podcast above, but I might have misremembered, so it's definitely in one of the Tom Secker ones if not.
