Edward Snowden
Introduction
The national security agency (NSA) for a long time had been conducting surveillance on the citizens of America and Europe. This program was known as PRISM, and the surveillance was done by obtaining personal information of the citizens, data the sent, or shared through their phones or computers such as messages, emails, photos, videos, and phone records (Snowden, 2019). According to the law, it is a criminal act for anyone to access someone else’s data without their consent or an order from the court, and that is what NSA was doing as the program was a national secret. It is true to say that Snowden was a people’s hero as he helped put an end to the invasion of their privacy by the NSA without their consent, which was illegal.
The PRISM Uncovering Process
In 2013, Snowden gave the journalists he was working with access to the documents he had, which were evidence of the existence of PRISM. The journalists started publishing articles and reports about the program exposing it to the public. On 9th June 2013, Edward Snowden, the man behind the leak, appeared on a video interview with the Guardian journalist where he gave a clear definition of the program, its activities and how it invaded the privacy of the citizens (Snowden, 2019). This action by Snowden gave credibility to the articles the journalists wrote on PRISM as he was a credible source of information.
Through the revelation of the PRISM program, it also exposed other surveillance programs that were spying on the citizens without their knowledge, such as the Boundless Informant and the BULLRUN programs (Verble, 2014). The NSA claimed that the PRISM program was formulated to prevent terrorist attacks on America and to enhance security by tracking messages and emails that seemed suspicious. The public was angered and disappointed by the government, which led to protests and demonstrations. To the government, Snowden was labeled as a traitor who committed espionage crimes on the country, which he will be charged with if arrested, but on the other hand, Snowden is a hero to most of the people as he did something that no one else could do.
The outcome of Snowden’s Whistleblowing
According to the government, Snowden was a traitor of the country who exposed the countries confidential information to the world, exposing the security of the nation. While on the other hand, most of the citizens felt that the government had no obligation of spying on them as it invading their privacy all In the name of national security and that Snowden did the right thing in exposing the program. Snowden was a hero on social media while on the news, he was labeled as a traitor and a criminal who had committed espionage acts on his country, which he was to be charged with when arrested (Greenwald & Overdrive Inc., 2014). Agitated citizens took to the streets to protest against the actions of the government and praising what Snowden did for them.
Conclusion
The reason that made Snowden be labeled as a hero is that after the expose or leaked happened, the government has formulated new laws that protect the privacy of personal data and information. It also increased awareness of the government of America on the need for transparency, following the rule of law and accountability to prevent resistance and to destabilize the peace of the country. It also gave the citizens a new knowledge of how to encrypt their messages to avoid an invasion of their privacy. Till today Snowden has found asylum in other countries, but the USA government still has named him one of the most wanted people in the world.