The Pros And Cons Of Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden was viewed by the government as a traitor when he blew the lid off of the NSA’s unconstitutional spying program and now may never be able to return to the United States. It is hard to disagree with Snowden’s reasoning for informing a nation, but easy to view his methods as wrong. He has documents to prove they were spying on visiting diplomats and acknowledged what journalists already knew, that they were being targeted. Snowden damaged the surveillance programs that were in place to monitor global terrorists. Recently, an emergency amendment to return the power to that security forces had was tabled by Congress so that the data collections safeguards could be debated. This left the debate open as to what power police
and security services are limited to, gathering information of phone calls and texts or should it include their content (Greenwald 9).
Industrial spying and espionage exposes the vulnerability of our nation’s wireless networks. Cyber espionage is costing business billions. China is at the forefront of the problem and lawmakers are concerned. Our government is trying to prevent companies from importing technology devices manufactured in China. China has the ability to enact trade barriers that could interrupt manufacturing supply chains. China also has been accused of spying to gain access to military and technological secrets. Experts are questioning whether we are already at technological war with China. Spying and espionage are two different things, but for actions to qualify as war there is usually massive human loss and material damage. Cyber espionage cannot be attributed to wither these qualifications so it is very difficult to set a precedence to stop it (Messmer 2-5).
The federal government is trying to turn the tables on Chinese industrial espionage.
A solar panel company Solar World could not figure out how the Chinese was undercutting their prices. Analysts found that the Chinese military was breaking into their computers and stealing sensitive information revealing marketing and pricing strategies. The company acted quickly to implement security policies and the Justice Department initiated indictments against China that stopped the attacks. China is striving for economic growth so it does not share world views of property theft or intolerable business practices. The US government has attempted to defend national security online, but American companies are still leery of too much government involvement over their private
networks.
Chinese hackers targeted corporate email, data storage, and other services provided overseas by major companies to spy on the U.S. The Chinese government continues to wage a cyber-espionage campaign and has successfully targeted the networks of U.S. government and private organizations. An aggressive diplomacy and a public shaming campaign has begun by President Obama’s administration and lawmakers to pressure Beijing to stop cyber-attacks that are estimated to cost our economy billions of dollars a year.
Securing wireless networks and devices can be accomplished by many methods and is an easy thing to do.
Effective data encryption comes standard on your home network wireless router and information transmitted cannot be read without the correct encryption key. Password protection can be enabled on all devices and users should choose strong passwords of adequate length. Thefts of wireless devices are on the rise. Users can learn ways protect themselves and the device from crime, and make a loss or theft known the employer or carrier for fast action. A new feature available to wireless devices is the kill switch which downloads in minutes and will render the phone useless if the device is lost or stolen. Educate employees who bring their own device should have some kind of security software to protect sensitive data. Users should always keep their antivirus up to date so that malware, viruses, and spyware will not be a threat, and install security updates. Unsecured wireless networks should never be used because it puts the device at greater risk for identity theft. Shoppers should only buy phones from reputable dealers to ensure they are not getting a counterfeit
phone.
Conclusion Mobile devices have revolutionized the way we relate to the world. This technology helps the American workforce get the job done quickly and efficiently from anywhere in the world. Smaller compact medical devices are helping to make the lives patients better, wireless controlled devices in manufacturing is making huge changes, better wireless communications is making office space obsolete. Wireless networks have disadvantages. American companies are vulnerable to many threats to their secure information from mobile devices and wireless networks. They also present many problems for users who use mobile devices to shop, bank, and use the internet. Social mobile media hinges on privacy violations every day. The greatest threat of the privacy violations come from the exploitation of children with applications being geared directly towards gaining private information. The United States government is using mobile technology to spy on the U.S. people and leaning on the wrong side of protecting the American people. Chinese military actions to gain sensitive information from American companies are not being prosecuted. The best way to protect yourself and the ones you love is to follow simple security guidelines that do not cost much and can save your personal information from falling into the wrong hands.