Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden is a crucial figure to know in regards to our personal privacy. In 2013, he blew the whistle on the unorthodox and invasive procedures performed by the CIA during his employment with them. These procedures and allowances were highly intrusive to the personal privacy of all Americans.

After the September 11th attacks in 2001, Congress was quick to pass The Patriot Act which allowed them to essentially spy on us without much or any evidence at all. It’s safe to say most of us were under the impression that in order for government agencies to access things like our personal phone calls, proper protocol involving judicial approval must be followed. Unfortunately, under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the government was collecting information on the phone calls of millions of Americans without the need for due process. This section of the Patriot Act was ruled unconstitutional in 2015 thanks to Snowden’s actions, but unrestricted access to our personal information by our own government is still under threat.

Snowden remains a controversial figure. Some revere him as a hero for bringing to light many of the injustices performed against the American people by their own government, but many see him as a traitor who committed treason by releasing valuable information on the security protocols of our intelligence agencies. What he did was noble and his intentions were good, ultimately his goal was to inform and protect the citizens of his home country, the United States.

It would be narrow minded, though, to ignore that much of the information he leaked to various sources, including other foreign governments, are potentially detrimental to the safety of our country. For more information on Edward Snowden, we recommend the PBS Frontline documentary “United States of Secrets” that is available publicly and for free through the PBS website.

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