The Controversy Of Edward Snowden's Violation

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
Snowden’s actions obviously infuriated many government officials. Fearful of the possible harsh penalties he could face, Snowden fled to Moscow, Russia, a clear foe of the United States. Russian hackers and spies are accused of being culprits to many security breaches across the U.S. Although Vladimir Putin denies the allegations, one fact is prevalent. Tension is continuously escalating between the two powers. Of all of the countries to flee to for political asylum, Russia is unanimously the worst nation to apply for, in terms of appearing innocent. Obviously, approaching an ally of the United States for asylum is not ideal if one wishes to ensure success, but many other countries exist that have poor relations with the U.S. and do not intend on being malicious towards the country. Choosing Russia begs the question: Will Snowden permit Russia access to classified information? If this is true, Snowden is a liar and traitor. Had he not defected to Russia, this question about his motives concerning the secret intelligence would be nonexistent. His choice of refuge has cast fog over his altruism and caused many to believe “the Russians are making Mr. Snowden comfortable during this little stopover, offering our reluctant hero a shoulder on which to cry and spill out all the secrets ” (Marsden
Edward Snowden, a NSA computer professional, fueled the already strong stereotype of government being corrupt and hypocritical by revealing the government agencies’ surveillance operations on the public. The leak initiated controversy, and many debate whether Snowden was an American hero who is attempting to prevent tyranny or a traitor who is selling Russia classified information. The United States government has charged Snowden with violation of the Espionage Act, and they are attempting to apprehend him to face trial in the U.S. In reality, Snowden displays both. He held the government accountable to its hypocrisy and violation of the constitution as the government has done before in the condoning of slavery and segregation, and he took refuge in an enemy of the United States which escalated tensions and provoked possible conclusions on his true