The Edward Snowden Case

The Edward Snowden case is one of the most controversial topics that happened in the last
few years. As a former National Security Agency (NSA) private contractor, Snowden made
the huge decision to expose a massive government monitoring program that violated the
privacy rights of millions of people in 2013. In turn of this, he became a so-called
whistleblower. In this response paper, I will take a look at Edward Snowden’s actions from a
positive perspective, highlighting his courage and talking about the importance of government
transparency and privacy.
In my opinion, Edward Snowden's decision to reveal information about the NSA's global
surveillance program and GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence organization was an act of
exceptional courage. At the time, he was fully aware of the foreseeable consequences of his
actions such as imprisonment and/or more. However, he chose to expose what was a violation
of the Fourth Amendment and an overstep on the right of privacy for people around the world.
Snowden's actions embodied the traits of a whistleblower. Whistleblowers like him play a
critical role in holding governments accountable and making sure that they stick to the
principles of democracy. He believed that his actions made a positive impact, the public had a
right to know about the fact that their governments were violating their privacy, and he was
willing to risk everything to bring this knowledge to public. This act of courage should be
acknowledged and celebrated, however he received controversial opinions. According to the
U.S. government, his actions violated the Espionage Act of 1917, which identified the leak of
state secrets as an act of treason.
The Edward Snowden case brought to attention the huge issue of government transparency.
Governments, especially those of democratic countries, should be honest with their actions
and policies. Snowden's report exposed that the government had been running mass data-
mining on its own citizens without their consent. The government's argument that such
surveillance was necessary for national security did not excuse the lack of informing people.
Snowden's actions started a global debate on the balance between security and privacy.
However, I believe that what we have today is not any better or worse, the only difference is
that we are aware of it in a slightly more subtle way.
One of the most positive outcomes of the Edward Snowden case is the fact that people are
aware of this, and by paying more attention to their digital footprint, they can save themselves
from data stealing of any kind. People, especially those on Snowden’s side, began to question
the boundaries of government power and the role of technology in surveillance. I believe that,
in the digital world security is the most important aspect nowadays, Snowden even pointed
out that the capabilities of the government are much bigger than it was 10 years ago. While
technology offers numerous benefits, it also exposes us to “criminals” who steals our data,
many times those being our own governments. However, finding a balance between security
and privacy is a challenge, as the boundary between the two is very hard to locate.
In conclusion, the Edward Snowden case, from a positive perspective, represents the
courageous actions of a whistleblower who risked everything to expose a massive violation of
privacy and the disrespect of the government. In my opinion, it was a necessary action to
make and I probably would have done the same. His actions opened the eyes of many, and
potentially saved personal data around the world. While opinions on Snowden's actions vary,
his actions meant a positive change and freedom in the digital age.
Works Cited:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/08/no-regrets-says-edward-snowden-after-
10-years-in-exile
https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/case-study/edward-snowden-traitor-hero
https://www.whistleblowers.org/news/the-case-of-edward-snowden/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-Snowden
https://journals.library.cornell.edu/tmpfiles/CIAR_8_1_3.pdf