NSA and Edward Snowden Essay examples - 1326 Words

Privacy has endured throughout human history as the pillar upon which our authentic nature rests. Yet, in an age darkened by the looming shadow of terrorism, another force threatens to dominate the skyline and obscure the light of liberty behind promises of safety and security: government surveillance. As an employee of the NSA, Edward Snowden broke his vow of secrecy to inform the public of our government’s furtive surveillance acts, but does this render him traitorous? To answer this, we must first ask ourselves, traitorous to whom? When the very institution established to protect our fundamental liberties intrudes on our privacy from behind a veil of secrecy, should such informed individuals resign from judicious autonomy and†¦show more content†¦While working for the NSA, Snowden became aware of their extensive trespasses against the privacy of U.S. and international citizens alike. Upon considering the extent of these trespasses, Snowden felt that it was his moral duty, as he stated, â€Å"to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them†. His provided information showed the use of Internet surveillance programs, and the evaluation of phone records in the form of â€Å"metadata†. Many argue that Snowden’s leaking of information has hindered our government’s ability to intercept terrorist plots, by informing the world of the NSA’s capabilities, and therefore allowing terrorist groups to plot attacks beyond the reach of U.S. surveillance. In light of this, Snowden’s leak has indeed made us more vulnerable to terrorist attacks, but does this justify the NSA’s chosen use of power? Since Snowden’s revelations, it has become evident that the NSA consistently uses their surveillance abilities to unjustified ends. One function of the NSA’s electronic data analysis is to find targets for the military’s Joint Special Operation s Command to strike with lethal drone attacks. Many innocent civilians in middle-eastern countries have lost their lives as a result of this military sect’s reliance on the NSA’s data, rather than human correspondence. According to an anonymous former drone-operator, the victims of these attacks â€Å"might have been terrorists, or they could have beenShow MoreRelatedNsa Spying Scandal : Edward Snowden715 Words   |  3 Pagesregarding the NSA spying scandal1. Pandemonium struck once a man leaked to the world that the NSA was spying on people through their electronics. The people could only imagine what kind of information had been seen by the government. However, this was being done to protect them from terroristic threats. Honestly, there is no legitimate reason to be afraid of this. The NSA should be allowed to spy on the technology and social media of American citizens. The person who revealed the NSA spying scandalRead MoreEdward Snowden and the NSA Leaks Essay1727 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Edward Snowden and the NSA Leaks Part 1: Objective Summary On June 6th of 2013 The Guardian reported on a classified U.S. surveillance network called PRISM. This information was given to them by former Booz Allen Hamilton employee Edward Snowden. Snowden obtained this information by secretly gathering files and documents regarding the program and others while working for the government contracted Booz Allen Hamilton in Hawaii. On May 20 2013, Snowden had traveled to Hong Kong to meet with GlennRead MoreThe NSA Surveillance Constitutionality: Edward Snowden974 Words   |  4 PagesJune 6, 2013 the details of the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance activities where given by Edward Snowden to the public; raising concerns of Americans about their privacy. Edward Snowden, a former employee of the NSA, gave the alarming details of surveillance programs in his interview on how the NSA accesses our emails, calls, internet activity, and anything else that is related to technology. In this system of surveillance the NSA can gather data from companies and tap the cables that areRead MoreThe Nsa Secret Documents By Edward Snowden2494 Words   |  10 PagesWith the release of the NSA secret documents by Edward Snowden in 2013, a once dystopian concept came to the forefront of American politics: government surveillance. Snowden unveiled the existence of PRISM, a program which allowed the US governmen t to read massive volumes of private information shared between citizens. The government exploited legislation meant to combat terrorism in the post-September 11th era. The media’s immediate reaction in discussing the National Security Agency was to compareRead MoreNo Place At Hide : Edward Snowden, The Nsa, And The U.s. Surveillance State987 Words   |  4 Pages I read No Place To Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State by Glenn Greenwald. The book takes a first-person look into the NSA scandal and Edward Snowden from one of the journalists who met with Snowden to release classified U.S. documents. The book serves a purpose that is to justify the release of classified documents by Mr. Snowden as well as to cut through the misconceptions that surrounded the scandal from someone who had seen the truth first hand. The book centersRead MoreEthics of Edward Snowden Essay1006 Words   |  5 Pageswrong. For example Edward Snowden, a 30 year old man was born in North Carolina in 1983 (Edward snowden.biography, 2013, para. 1). Edward Snowden was a security guard that worked for the National Security Agency (NSA), after three months Edward Snowden started to collect NSA files and fled to Hong Kong and leaked the files. China started to print out report of the files that Edward Snowden has leaked to China about the NSA spying on U.S citizens. The reason that Edward Snowden left the United StatesRead MoreEdward Snowden694 Words   |  3 PagesEdward Snowden’s actions are Justifiable because he shines light on what the government has been doing and he feels that the people have a right to know. This paper will contain what has been happening in the Snowden case and some reasons to why Snowden did what he did and why it was justifiable and how it did in a way enhance democracy in the United States. Snowden believed that by releasing this information he is doing the right thing, he also believed that people had a right to knowRead MoreAnalysis Of The Documentary Citizenfour An Hbo Documentary, Directed By Laura Poitras1109 Words   |  5 PagesThe NSA or National Security Agency denied accusations of spying on Americans for years. It was’t until 2013 when ex-NSA worker, Edward Snowden, released secret information entailing the real activities of the NSA, involving access to virtually any American’s private life. In Citizenfour, an HBO documentary, directed by Laura Poitras, Edward Snowden contacts Laura under code name, Citizenfour, to share his knowledge on the truth behind government spying. Laura ended up meeting up with Snowden andRead MoreIt is reasonable to argue that, governmental institutions or people with authority are subject to600 Words   |  3 Pagesconstitutional rights. Over the last year, Edward Snowden, has made headline news for leaking sensitive governmental information to the press. Edward Snowden is a 29-year-old high school drop-out, who w as a tech specialist for the National Security Association. Snowden had discovered and later exposed the NSA for monitoring the nations e-mails, phone calls, and internet searches. As the allegations spread like wild fire, Edward Snowden sought asylum in Russia for one year. Snowden had a valid and justifiable reasonRead MorePreserving Liberty1743 Words   |  7 Pageswords, the artist has declared Edward Snowden and Julian Assange heroes. While plenty government officials condemn the actions of these demonized â€Å"hacktivists,† reconsider the summer of 2013, when Americans sat aghast in their living rooms as reporters broke stories of the mass surveillance of American citizens through the collection of phone records and user data from major American companies (i.e. Apple, Verizon, Facebook, and Google) by the National Security Agency (NSA) (Scherer and Shuster). In