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Is Edward Snowden A Hero Or A Villain

487 Words2 Pages

Edward Snowden, a former Central Intelligence Agency employee, recently exposed the National Security Agency's program "PRISM" and is now hiding in another country. This outbreak of events spurred a concerning debate between having better security or having more privacy. On one half of the government spectrum lies the supporters of government surveillance, who are convinced that having better security is far more important than having more privacy. Notably, according to the supporters of government surveillance these programs allow the government to stop any form of terrorism before it occurs. Unfortunately, Edward Snowden became a villain that betrayed the country to those who believed in what the National Security Agency was doing. On the other half of …show more content…

Utilizing the concept of consequentialism, an individual could label Snowden as a villain or a hero by understanding not only the benefits of government surveillance, but the costs of government surveillance as well. After weighing the costs and benefits of government surveillance, he or she can decide whether or not Snowden is a hero or a villain. An individual who gains happiness or utilities/services from Edward Snowden's actions would most likely consider him a hero. In contrast, an individual who loses happiness or utilities/services from Edward Snowden's actions would most likely consider him a villain. In essence, the consequentialist viewpoint can not provide enough evidence on the identity of Snowden as a hero or a villain because not everyone is benefited or hurt by government surveillance programs. Ultimately, each individual would be effected by government surveillance programs differently; therefore, depending on the individual, Snowden can be considered either a hero or a

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According to the BBC, it has become known that the NSA was responsible in the massive surveillance of millions of ordinary Americans through the PRISM progra,, not just those who have suspected links to terrorism. Companies such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo routinely provided a back door for the NSA to tap into their servers and track online communications (Document 1). This article was released about two years after the leaks when the debates over the future of the PATRIOT Act started to intensify. The National Security Agency strong armed these firms into giving up clients’ private data. No one stood in their way because the NSA had the full backing of the blinded Congress.

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Through this phenomenon, muckrakers and whistle-blowers have come to the forefront to provide the people with the information that is so often gated away. No other person in the world is more famous for this in recent memory than Edward Snowden. Snowden, former NSA associate, leaked thousands of documents pertaining to the surveillance of American citizens. This broke numerous laws and turned Snowden in a criminal. This transgression was deemed so horrible by the government that he had to flee the United States if he valued his freedom.

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The recent revelations about the NSA surveillance programme have cause concern and outrage by citizens and politicians across the world. What has been missing, though, is any extended discussion of why the government wants the surveillance and on what basis is it authorised. For many commentators surveillance is wrong and it cannot be justified. Some commentators have argued that surveillance is intrinsic to the nature of government and its ability to deliver the public good.[1] Few, though have looked at the surveillance within a wider context to understand how it developed. A notable exception is the work by Steven Aftergood.

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