Edward Snowden: A Public Service Announcement Revealing information being withheld from the public is one way to describe a whistleblower (Clayton, 2014, p. 1). Edward Snowden took this title when he reviled secrets kept by the National Security Agency (NSA). This controversial topic had many people around the world talking about whether his actions were for betterment of the United States nation security or for his own personal gain. In addition, his fleeing to Russia has people wondering what he truly set out to do by providing the public with this confidential information. Mark Clayton (2014) reported an interview with Edward Snowden stating the claim that he blew the whistle on the N.S.A. to better our security measures for the United States’ …show more content…
4). Both Clayton and Raddack view Edward as a hero, but some say he set out to better his own life by taking this information and revealing it to the public. Mark Clayton’s article shown light on the beliefs of the whistleblower and his actions. In a conference call with “technologists” from many areas of the United States, Clayton (2014) reported the statements said by Snowden himself (p. 1). An early claim made by him was that supervisors from the NSA devised an “offensive surveillance” system succeeding the events of “9/11” (2014, p. 1). This faulty plan, due to making an in for countries around the world, was designed to safeguard the United States from another plausible terrorist attack (as stated in Clayton, 2014, p. 1). Snowden claims that bringing this issue to the public’s eye caused large companies to put specific encryptions on users’ information making it more difficult to access their private data (as stated in Clayton, 2014, p. 1). In addition, Clayton (2014) reported Snowden as saying “I took an oath …show more content…
Mr. Baker, “a former legal counsel for the NSA,” was not impressed by his statements made within this interview (as stated in Clayton, 2014, p.1). He stated that he wondered whether he was fighting for the “principle” or was essentially throwing “America” under the bus, due to other nations having the same such problem and it being a greater hindrance upon them than the United States (as stated in Clayton, 2014, p. 1). As for “Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program at the NYU School of Law” she viewed his reasoning for his actions to stand firm (as stated in Clayton, 2004, p. 1). She believed that “The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court” entrusted the NSA with far too great of power to govern itself. Also, her belief is that the “Fourth Amendment” violation has to stop due to the incorrect interpretation of this constitutional right (as stated in Clayton, 2014, p. 1). Additionally, Raddack (2013) stated that Snowden is infuriated that people assume he is providing information to the “Russians” (p. 6). He provides the fact that “he did not destroy his life merely to become a Russian advisory” (as stated in Raddack, 2013, p. 6). As well as the most compelling reason, he has not been able to have possession of the leaked “information . . . since he left Hong Kong” (as stated in Raddack, 2013, p. 6). This largely important detail about his