The National Security Agency has been collecting the phone records of all U.S. citizens—which numbers have called which other numbers, when, and for how long—in an enormous database. The government says this mass collection is OK because the database is “queried”—i.e., searched—only under court supervision. In theory, this two-tiered approach, with judicial scrutiny applied at the query stage rather than the collection stage, is defensible. But does the judiciary—in this case, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court—really examine the database queries?…
Edward Snowden is a former CIA employee and also a former contractor for the US government. Ed Snowden in 2013, leaked very classified information including the surveillance program ran by the government. One of the things this surveillance program did was to spy on and hunt terrorists, but also to record and log all phone calls, videos call and texts messages to where they could access this stuff at anytime. Another thing that they logged was emails and messages from facebook and tons of others. When Snowden leaked this information he flew to Russia where he was granted asylum for one year and then got it extended to where he can stay there until 2020. To many people Snowden is listed as a traitor, whistleblower, and many other names, but…
The Central Intelligence Agency is an agency that is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world. Unlike the FBI, the CIA is an independent agency. Information gathered by this organization can be decoded and utilized to keep our nation safe from any attacks from foreign…
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…
In Common Sense, Thomas Paine’s 1776 pamphlet advocating for American independence, “Government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.” Government surveillance programs and apparatuses cross the line between protection and oppression when they violate civil liberties and threaten the privacy of everyday Americans. In our society today, with our rapidly expanding surveillance complex, our civil liberties are more at risk than ever before as the country’s surveillance expands in the open-ended war on terrorism. In George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, the government utilizes surveillance methods to maintain control over the people of Oceania.…
“Does the massive use of Big Brother surveillance technologies make you feel safer because it can protect you from crime, or less safe because of possible violations of your civil liberties? Will you be more careful now using communication technologies, knowing that anything you type or send electronically could be reconstructed and used to judge your lawfulness or your character?”…
In recent discussions of Edward Snowden, a controversial issue has been whether or not he was wrong for leaking government information. On the one hand, some argue that he is an American hero. From this perspective, it is a good thing that he exposed the inappropriate surveillance tactics of the American government. On the other hand, however, others argue that he is a traitor. From this perspective, he betrayed his country by leaking information to other countries. In the words of President Barack Obama, “If any individual who objects to government policy can take it into their own hands to publicly disclose classified information, then we will not be able to keep our people safe, or conduct foreign policy” (Mason). In sum, then, the…
Edward Snowden harmed the United States by warning them. He warned them that they were being watch. So everyone was careful now to not get caught. Some people even stopped using technology to avoid trouble. Edward Snowden harmed the United States because he warned people, copied classified information, and made terrorist change their meaning of communication.…
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…
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…
Kazy KyleThe reputation of the National Security Agency has taken quite a hit this year, what with fresh revelations from Edward Snowden hitting the press every week or two. The agency clearly needs some help on the public relations front, so how about some well-trained college students?…
Today! ” the collection of Communication Information Data, Conducting and Investigation of Foreign Intelligence, Controlling of Money Laundering, Funding and Enhancing of National Border Security” (Doyle, 2002) have greatly concerned some groups like the American Civil Liberties, Citizens, and even the Private Sectors, because it might be intruding, and violation of the “American Peoples” constitutional rights. But even with these concerns and controversial issues, some say the country have been safe so far, because of the incertion of authority by the Patriot Act removing walls erected by President Clinton and allowing it to share information by the Homeland Security and Government Agencies and etc.…
Former C.I.A. employee Snowden leaked classified information about the National Security Agency’s programs. In other words, Snowden broke the law, and in doing so, he opened the eyes of the public to what some would perceive as an invasion of privacy. Those same people who perceived Snowden’s act of civil disobedience as an act of heroism would argue that this invasion of privacy is unjust according to the U.S. Constitution. In the event of Snowden’s civil disobedience, Snowden created distrust between Americans and the U.S. government by insinuating that the American government was unjustly infringing upon the rights of its citizens, and suggesting that there should be no circumstances in which this is legal or accepted by the American people. The reality is, however, that without organizations such as the N.S.A. there to monitor Americans from afar, the American nation would be open to millions of threats. In fact, those who view Snowden as a hero would likely view things differently if for example the safety of their nation was compromised by a secret terrorist organization within the United States which, without the efforts of the N.S.A.’s programs, had gone undetected. If this was the case, they would likely be arguing in favor of creating these programs rather than demolishing them. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that in the case of Edward Snowden’s act of civil disobedience, society was negatively impacted by…
No, the NSA Does Not Spy on Everyone, Everywhere: Why the National Security Agency’s Data Surveillance Programs are Both Legal and Necessary…
WikiLeaks is an international non-profit organization that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources and news leaks. Wikileaks.org was created by Julian Assange and a group of colleagues and it is dependent on public donations. They wanted a platform for ‘whistle blowers’ to expose abusive institutions in order to create a check on powerful systems such as governments and big companies. They think that the governments of the world have long proven their ability to strangle freedom and privacy by the abuse of state surveillance. They believe that mass leaking of true information is the most cost-effective political weapon. With these believes they intend to place a new star on the political firmament of man.…