It seems that before June 5th, 2013, the world was in
technological bliss. We enjoyed all of technology’s benefits and did not think
about all of its capabilities, both good and bad. That was until the 21st
century’s biggest whistle blower, Edward Snowden, opened the door on government
spying. In this
tech talk, I will discuss what Edward Snowden revealed about the NSA and his
perception in today’s culture. By the end of this post, you will have to decide
if Edward Snowden is a privacy hero or American traitor.
Edward Snowden was born in 1983 into a family that all worked or was
involved in the government. Snowden worked for the CIA from 2006 to 2009 and
then began working for the NSA in 2013. While at the NSA, he began compiling
documents with information on NSA’s surveillance practices and on May 20th,
2013, Edward asked for a medical leave of absence and left the country. On June
5th 2013, the Guardian and The Washington Times leaked the
information provided by Snowden, about PRISM and other surveillance programs. Not only did the American people learn
that the government was spying on them, but that big corporations that they
trusted with their information was helping them do it.
PRISM is a program that helped the NSA collect
information such as emails, document, photographs, and other sensitive date
from major companies (Rathnam 2017). Some of these major companies included
Microsoft, Skype, Apple, Google, and YouTube. Other than PRISM, the leaks also revealed
that the NSA was wiretapping in on people’s calls thanks to providers like
Version, AT&T, and Sprint.
Once all of this classified information was released to
the public, there was a mix of emotion and led to the start of a major debate:
was Edward Snowden a hero or traitor? One side saw Snowden as a champion of
personal freedom and viewed the government as crossing a major line that violated
constitutional rights. The other side argued that Snowden released classified government
documents that jeopardized national security and the safety of all citizens.
Since this 2013 leak, there has been in increase in
disclosures by big companies about sharing personal data and many Americans
cover their computer cameras and phones worried that the government is listening;
however, the original anger and panic has seemed to dissipate. This CNET article reported on January
2018 that programs, such as PRISM, have been renewed by Congress and have not gone
away. Have we forgotten about the government having so much information about
us? Maybe, but we've lost our innocence when it comes to technology and every
time we search something on Google, can we help but wonder if Big Brother is
watching?
Questions:
1.
Before reading this
blog, were you aware of Edward Snowden’s massive NSA leaks and what they
included?
2.
After reading the
articles, do you believe that the government has the right to conduct mass surveillance
on American citizens in the name of “national security”?
3.
Do you believe that
Edward Snowden is a privacy hero or American traitor?
Glad you posted this. Personally I think the whole hero or traitor thing is rather old. Of course, until there is a change of heart with a new administration, the government will treat him as a traitor. Clearly, as you point out, and there is so so so much more than this, which I'll post on my blog later, everything Snowden pointed to as surveillance by the government and tech companies is still going on. So, maybe it's Snowden, truth-teller or say nothing. After all, the government was carrying out all of these activities and denied doing them. Other people tried to do this and were fired. Did you see the Oscar-winning documentary? (The movie was good too, of course.)
ReplyDeleteHi Dr Suzie. I do see your point about the discussion of hero or traitor being slightly old and only included it in my blog post because as I was reading articles, I learned that he is currently in Russia under asylum protection and if he ever chose to return to America would be treated as a traitor and criminally charged, so some still view him as a traitor. I like your idea of truth-teller or say nothing. Of all of my research so far, I was most surprised that the government and big companies are continuing the same practices and no one talks about it as much anymore. I have not seen the documentary but planned on watching it soon and than adding more to my post or starting the discussion in the comments. I just wanted to get the tech talks started and make an initial post! Thank you for taking the time to read my post and comment and I look forward to reading some of the articles you post regarding this topic!
ReplyDeleteHi Hailee, I think the whole Snowden saga is quite interesting. I first found out about Snowden from some media coverage and then later went down a rabbit hole of it after watching the movie Snowden (which I get is sensationalized by the media). However, I think that movie was a great way to gain more exposure to what was/is happening with NSA and how nothing is really 'private' anymore. I think the government, to a certain extent, can conduct mass surveillance. I think if a person is on a watch list or being suspected of a crime or has linkage to a potential crime, they should be investigated. I believe Snowden was a double edged sword because he did unveil to the public how deeply the government watches us but also he went against the government and did reveal sensitive information.
ReplyDeleteHi Maddi! Thanks for your comment. I had a similar experience with learning about Snowden and haven't seen the movie but have always wanted to. Do you believe that the movie gave the perception that he was the good guy and the government was bad or was it pretty fair to both parties? Before reading up on the NSA I also agreed with you that people on watch lists or suspected criminals should be watched but worry if the broad definition of a "criminal" can lead to the NSA widening their scope and claiming that everyone they are watching has committed some type of crime even if the crime is not a serious threat to national security!
DeleteHi Hailee,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your tech talk I think that Snowden is incredibly interesting because his actions are so controversial. I struggle greatly with the idea of mass surveillance for national security because I do believe the government should respect its citizens privacy but I also believe that if this surveillance could prevent attacks on our country I think its important. Overall, I think the government takes surveillance to the extreme and compromises privacy rights with things like wiretapping and the Tempora program. Along with this, the New York Times recently posted an article (link below) that discusses the N.S.A and the mass growth in their data collections (phone record collections have tripled since 2016) and I feel that this could result in people becoming even more upset with the N.S.A and potentially a new Snowden.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/04/us/politics/nsa-surveillance-2017-annual-report.html
Hi Emma! Thanks for your comment and new article link! I agree with your assessment and I find it concerning that the NSA does not clearly identify their scope of surveillance, which allows them to invade the privacy of citizens who are not a threat to national security. Through my research, I discovered that the NSA has continued to collect data but had no idea that they are collecting nearly triple of what they were doing when Snowden leaked their practices. It is concerning to me and makes me wonder why citizens are not as angry as they were 5 years ago, but this could be because they are unaware it is still happening.
DeleteHi Hailee,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting tech talk and I really enjoyed reading it. To be honest I have never heard of Edward Snowden before and the only thing I knew related to this topic were the memes about FBI agents watching us through our phones; however it is very concerning to read that this is no longer a joke, but the reality we live in. In my opinion I think Snowden was right in telling the public about what I consider to be a violation of privacy. Our laws are not up to date and when the Bill of Rights was being made, they didn't have to worry about their phone being hacked. I think this violates our 4th amendment and should be at least more regulated. It is astounding to me that after this information was brought to the attention of the public that these programs have continued on without and any changes being made. Although I do see the potential good that could come from these programs, I believe that it was immoral to take information from people's phones without their knowledge and that Snowden did the right thing.
Hi! Glad you enjoyed my post and that you learned something new from it! I think you make a great point about the Bill of Rights and other out of date laws. They didn't have the same concerns as we do in today's technological world. I agree with your opinion that maybe if the NSA didn't make their spying a secret and were more clear about what they were watching, Americans wouldn't be so angry or worried about it. Thanks again for writing a comment!
DeleteHailee,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this tech talk. Before reading this, I was not aware of who Edward Snowden was or what he revealed about the CIA or NSA but was aware of the controversies that surround the government violating privacy rights. Reading this article made me think of the Equifax hacking dilemma when Equifax was hacked, and consumer data was breached. Consumers worried about potential damage to their personal-financial information. Both situations made many Americans feel uneasy about who had access to their personal information and what those people might do with that information. I do believe the government should have the clearance to conduct mass surveillance, to an extent. The government should only have access to the personal information of those who pose a threat to national security. But for the sake of finding suspects, all emails, all texts, all communications should be monitored with personal information detached from the data being sorted through. If a person is flagged for suspicious activity, then their name should be linked with their private information. I feel that Edward Snowden should be regarded as a hero for shedding a light on the invasion privacy rights promised to American citizens through the Bill of Rights. When looking through information as a means of national security there needs to be transparency between the information being evaluated and the person the information belongs to, until there is reason to believe they are a threat to society.
Thanks for posting about this, I really enjoyed reading and commenting!
Jennica
Hi Jennica! Thanks for reading and commenting! I agree that there are many similarities between Equifax and Snowden. I agree that one of the biggest problems with what the NSA and CIA did was that they weren't upfront and honest with citizens. If people knew what and why they were conducting mass surveillance, they may have not been as uneasy and more understanding! Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my post and I enjoyed your opinion!
DeleteHi Hailee!
ReplyDeleteEdward Snowden is always an interesting topic to a much heated conversation. As your article points out, half the people think he is a traitor and half the people think he is a hero. I think it is too hard to say which side Snowden lands on, similar to those who have posted above me. Additionally, I have not read all the files he released which might affect my perspective on the issue. Since this event happened quite a long time ago, I wonder if Snowden has more files to release or decide to be more low key. Agencies and officials can learn from this and move forward as they have been.
Hi Dylan! Thanks for reading my post! I never thought about the idea of him having more files that he has yet to release but if he did, he would probably use them as a bargaining chip to return to the United States because he is currently under asylum in Russia. I also agree that it is important that these agencies learn from their mistakes and from this scandal and be more open and honest with us! Thanks for your comment!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great topic for discussion because it is so controversial. I think part of the issue that angered people the most is that they had no idea that companies they trusted to keep their information private had been giving it to the government. I trust the government and personally understand that this kind of extreme surveillance can potentially stop horrible things from happening. That being said, I think people have the right to know what they are getting themselves into when they use applications like Facebook or search on Google. In a recent Cloudwards article, Rathnam writes that there was a court order that, "explicitly forbids Verizon from disclosing to the public the existence of FISA order or this request from the FBI" to give them information from their clients. The government told companies to not only share information about their clients, but then to keep secret the fact that they are giving this information to the government. Before I use Verizon, or Google, or any number of large companies that are sharing private information with the government, I would like to know that they are doing that. If I am not ok with the government having certain information about me, then I can choose not to use these companies' services. I understand why the government is doing what they are doing, but I also don't think it is ethical to take people's information without their knowledge or consent.
ReplyDeleteArticle: https://www.cloudwards.net/prism-snowden-and-government-surveillance/