Preview

Edward Snowden's Lack Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
429 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Edward Snowden's Lack Analysis
On June 2013, National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden revealed confidential information to reporters on global surveillance programs run by the U.S government. Snowden leaked how the government covertly collect personal data, such as email messages and phone conversations, as a part of anti-terrorism efforts. After the revelations, Americans expressed mixed and conflicting views on government surveillance programs.
The National Security Agency is a branch of the United States Department of Defense responsible for global monitoring, collection, and processing of information for counterintelligence. Since its inception, the NSA has been credited with foiling over 50 terrorist plots worldwide in a forceful defense (Dozier). Army Gen. Keith Alexander stated that the NSA has two programs: one to gather U.S phone records and the other to track the use of U.S-based Internet servers by foreigners with histories of criminal activities. However, Snowden’s leak revealed that the government collection is deeper - with security scans on US citizens’ information as well.
…show more content…
Over 54 percent of the The 54 percent of the American population disagree with government surveillance argue that there is no need to sacrifice personal liberty to be safe from terrorism(Schoen). Activist state that the NSA has broken federal privacy laws. The government has overstepped its boundaries by breaking into communication links of major data and spying on millions of user accounts. Citizens no longer have confidence that their medical data, private investments, and criminal records remain private. In fact, a federal district judge ruled that the NSA’s surveillance program violates the Fourth Amendment of the constitution, each man is secure from unreasonable searches and seizures of property by the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The thoughts of those looking into the affairs of the NSA think the government took a great idea, and honestly the only idea with today’s technological warfare, and got greedy with how much information they have collected and need to be watched very carefully. The most important information for any human being is the information we choose to keep private, it can be the most devastating information in the wrong hands and the United States Government is holding that exact information in bulk, with your name on a yellow folder.…

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nearly three years ago, in 2013, Edward Snowden – a former American National Security Agency (N.S.A.) contractor – leaked anywhere from a hundred to two hundred thousand classified documents, that proved the existence of massive global surveillance, including of American citizens as well as top world leaders, run by the USA with the active cooperation of many allied governments as well as telecommunication and technology companies.…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    I chose to focus my analysis on Edward Snowden and his disclosure of classified domestic surveillance documents. When the leak first came out, I was upset at the thought of my privacy being violated by the NSA. However, the feeling dissipated when I considered the protection making that sacrifice affords. The NSA, like many organizations, are sometimes faced with ethical dilemmas. Occasionally, there is no right answer. Thus, the decision made, while not ideal, is the lesser of evils. In his TED talk interview, Snowden stated, “Your rights matter because you never know when you're going to need them” (TED, 13:20). While I admit his statement did trigger the reexamination of my stance, I arrived at the same position. Perhaps, I will look back…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some people believe, when the NSA spies on their own citizens illegally it creates an atmosphere of distrust between the government and its’ citizens; the NSA might believe by doing so, they are saving and preventing certain situations from taking place. Edward Snowden revealed the level of infiltration in his statement about NSA spying. Woodburn stated that "Seven months after the initial Snowden leaks, sixty-three percent of Americans stated that they were dissatisfied with the government's Surveillance of U.S. citizens" (28). U.S citizens disagree at times with their government's choices, and the National Security Agency infiltrating cell phone and computers makes this situation worse. Americans resent the government taking away their right to privacy in order to find terrorists. But, terrorists have found United States citizens, born in the USA, to help them commit terrorist acts and the NSA is wasting time and effort searching into American people while they are allowing real threats happen.…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Concerns of and further decreased in 2013, when leaks of information of the NSA spying and disturbing privacy of U.S. citizens became publicly known. The NSA’s acts go against the fourth amendment, thus showing the amendment is no longer in full effect, causing citizens to believe the amendment will soon be completely repealed removing the remaining privacy citizens have and further violate their rights. A great number of the general public disapprove of the government collecting data on U.S. citizens.…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    FISA Pros And Cons

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages

    citizens without their knowledge as long as they have had conducted any means of communication with a non-U.S. citizen/foreign enmity (Such as businesses, stores, etc.). This detail about the NSA’s actions I think is considerably problematic as the communications that can be stored include any internet communications. With the internet people, can communicate with anyone around the world i.e. non-U.S. citizens via any means as long as it exists on the internet such as social media, games, online-chatrooms. The biggest problem with the NSA actions is that U.S. citizens participating in these communications do not know that their activities are being monitored and reviewed by the NSA and being determined if these communications are acts of terroristic behavior or espionage against the U.S. Though the procedures may seem overly extensive, it is understandable that these actions in an event of terrorism are crucial in the prevention and tracking of guilty parties in regards to a terroristic attack. However, the unknown acquisition of information about a U.S. citizen because of their contact with a foreign person is redundant because of the need to acquire the information even if the persons are not a threat. From my understanding, I think that the NSA actions are excessive and harming themselves and the public as they are acquiring and…

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Consider the technology that defines everyday life in America- texts, email, internet, and phone calls. In performing these constant activities, most never questioned their privacy, that is, until Edward Snowden squealed on the NSA’s less than ethical maneuvers. Without citizens’ consent, the American government was collecting metadata, “all the information surround a call, including the caller’s number, the receiver's number, the time and location of the call, and how long it lasted” (Diamond). The government may have been shooting for just the bad guys, but all American civilians got caught in the crossfire. Nothing would exempt a person from these invasions of privacy, and their data would be scanned and stored just like that of a seasoned…

    • 1555 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Edward Snowden Argument

    • 1168 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Edward Snowden was a hot topic in the news in 2013 after he released classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) to the media. This leak contained information about global surveillance performed by the United States, which involved monitoring email, tracking cell phones, and logging phone calls. Not only did this action force him into asylum overseas to avoid arrest, but it ultimately caused an uproar in the media and amongst the American public. The controversy surrounding Snowden involves the rights of the public vs. the surveillance programs performed by the U.S. While many condemn Snowden for betraying the national security of his country, many applaud him for exposing the…

    • 1168 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    meow

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In May 2013, Edward Snowden, a CIA and NSA employee, risked his career and freedom to do something he felt was right; let the world know that the United States had programs such as the interception of telephone metadata, PRISM, XKeyscore, and Tempora internet surveillance programs. This was called the most significant leak in US history by some and sparked up the discussion about the balance between national security and civil liberties. The country needs to strike a balance between national security and civil liberties by sacrificing some of one to give way for more of the other.…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In a world full of smartphones, extensive security protocols, and rapidly advancing technologies, it is unnerving to realize that technology is how the government is storing information on its citizens. Before 2013, the world felt safe while storing public and private information about themselves in phones and computers; the infamous actions of Edward Snowden changed how the world would view technology and the American government. Since 2013, the debate has been whether Edward Snowden, the mastermind behind the largest intelligence leak in history, is a criminal or a hero. Edward Snowden should remain protected by the Whistleblower Protection Act— as well as the Constitution— because the NSA had no legal justification to spy on ordinary citizens…

    • 1289 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    NSA leaked

    • 1272 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Eight months later, media outlets around the world have published more than 100 revelations in over a dozen languages. We now know that the NSA has tracked private American citizens’ phone calls, emails and social connections; monitored Internet traffic in and out of the U.S.; and spied on allied countries and foreign companies alike. What we have learned so far suggests that the agency has gone from protecting national security to facilitating the United States’ political and economic advantage on the world stage.…

    • 1272 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Edward Snowden Cons

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In any country of the world, the citizens strive to have a sense of security in life and do everything possible to keep their personal life and information safe. Despite the amount of work we put into keeping ourselves safe, there’s still the possibility of our safety being breached, even from those we don’t suspect. Such as our government, which is set in place to keep our nation intact and make sure all citizens are safe from all harm possible. At times, however, they breach our personal records and accounts to do what they do best and prevent as much harm as possible on our county. The government has several surveillance systems in place that monitor all of our daily activities and these systems remained invisible until one man, Edward Snowden a former CIA employee and former government contractor, leaked classified information from the USNSA (United States National Security Agency) in 2013.…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    This started with letters the NSA sent out to only a few private companies asking them for all their data. After most of the companies hiding there clients data and not handing over the information, the adiministatain started secretly approaching Telecom Companies asking them to participate in the NSA’s domestic spying program. Soon after that these companies started sending Internet and Telephone content to the NSA (Office of the Inspector General). Later in the year, a huge proportion of global Internet traffic flows through networks controlled by the United States, simply because eight of 15 global tier 1 telecommunications companies are American -- companies like AT&T, Century Link, XO Communications and, significantly, Verizon and more companies start sharing their telephone and internet Metadata with the…

    • 2151 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    To ensure expressive, associational, and privacy rights are strengthened instead of being compromised by new technology is the goal of the Protecting Civil Liberties and protect the core democratic rights when corporate and government practices that rely on new technology that invades these rights. The government regularly tracks all calls of nearly every common American and spy on a large number of Americans’ international calls, text messages, and emails. Whistle blower Eric Snowden, a contractor with NSA, willfully and knowingly exposed the government’s most sensitive surveillance techniques without authorization and the most fundamental rights as individuals. The ACLU has been fighting for over 12 years to end government surveillance’s lack of oversight that allows it to invade the rights and lives of millions of Americans. When the case against mass surveillance reached the Supreme Court several years ago, was dismissed due to lack of sufficient evidence of the secret programs. Leading the way, the ACLU’s struggle to rein in the surveillance superstructure which strikes at the core of our privacy rights, freedom of speech and association will continue. ("ACLU: National…

    • 1583 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Over the past century, the government has been a center of controversy and division. American citizens and non-American citizens, for years, have complained about many aspects of government ranging from hypocrisy to lies and false promises from politicians. This attitude was heightened because of an NSA employee named Edward Snowden, who afterwards fled to Russia for asylum from the U.S. government. Snowden revealed shocking secrets about operations orchestrated by the CIA and NSA. Most notably, their “snoopy” behavior. According to Snowden, government-based agencies constantly use programs and various devices to spy on people. The NSA has access to everyone’s phone records, emails, pictures, messages, and sensitive information. The leak caused…

    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays