Snowden And Privacy Analysis

Technology is advancing, a fact no one can ignore. While being able to record all your hit tv shows isn’t the most damaging thing, cameras, on the other hand, can be. On June 5th, 2013, an English newspaper, Guardian, released top secret information about America’s foreign intelligence. Edward Snowden, a former NSA employee and the (anti)”hero” of the story, revealed all this and more after fleeing to Hong Kong to avoid persecution. With the truth out, controversies of the government’s power were voiced. America might not be as “free” as it claims to be. This isn’t the first time the government has been revealed to the public eye. As many often say, “History is doomed to repeat itself.” During the Vietnam War, pentagon papers were leaked by a man named Daniel Ellsberg. Many have compared the two incidents, including Fred Kaplin as seen in paragraph 7 of his article, and even Ellsberg himself. While the results are somewhat different, as Snowden has several death threats, the cause was the same: the government is keeping more secrets than we know, and this cannot be healthy.
Security cameras are great for protection, but there’s a line that gets crossed more often than not.
The big problem here is our privacy being violated and there being little to no trust from the opposing side. As Snowden says in an interview on reddit, “There must always be a balance of power between governing and the governed (Will Oremus, 19).” He continues to say in another interview that the government has, “surveillance of innocent people (Barton Gellman, Aaron Blake and Greg Miller, 2).” Senator Ron Wyden, on the topic of how much the government has hiding with its surveillance works, said: “Americans would be ‘stunned’ (Robert Barnes, Timothy B. Lee and Ellen Nakashima, 12).” Many are also upset by the “lack of transparency (Barnes, Lee, & Nakashima, 6 – 7) the government had promised us once Obama was in office. Is our ignorance bliss, or are we being put at risk by our own
nativity? While everyone has their opinion, I have mine as well. I do not think what Snowden did was horrible. I’m not alone; as several other individuals (whom were once or currently are) think what he did was right. The list includes former president Jimmy Carter, former democratic vice president Al Gore, and Representative John Conyers (Amber Phillps, 1 – 25). Snowden revealed the truth, something the government should be doing to the public. Amie Stepanovich who works for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, states that members of Congress are “Representatives of the people. But they [the people] have been kept totally in the dark about these things (Barnes, Lee, & Nakashima, 6 – 7).” Citizens make up the government, help it function and are its voice. Withholding information, especially something this big, should be brought up and talked about. I believe what Edward Snowden did was right, he did what the government was too afraid to do; and that was to let its own people know what’s going on.