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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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His purpose was to let the detractors know Snowden’s exact motive. Because the government constantly looks over ones’ shoulder, they have to constantly be mindful of their online activity and their online footprint. The Constitution was founded upon the principles of freedom from fear of the government, but this is not the case today. Edward Snowden’s views are reciprocated by the general US population. According to the Pew Research Center, 81% of people find it unacceptable for the US to monitor citizens of their countries, 73% finds it unacceptable to monitor leaders of their country, 62% finds it unacceptable to monitor American citizens, and 64% finds it acceptable to monitor terrorist suspects (Document 5).

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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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Snowden demonstrated the same beliefs as those stated in “Blue’s Ain’t No Mockin Bird.” As Bambara demonstrated through the use of symbolism and metaphor, and as Marlon Brando stated, privacy should not be given to a select few, but rather should be given to

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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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As Mr. Cusick stated, what Edward Snowden failed to disclose or fail to see was the whole picture. He was not privileged to see how some aspects of information fit with others. With or without this understanding, Snowden painted a grim picture of NSA’s practices regarding the privacy millions of citizens. By doing so, he severely damaged the nations intelligence gathering capability and put the lives of many at

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With Edward Snowden's NSA leaks, this issue was brought into relief. Was he full of moral superiority over a gray issue, or was he "that most awkward and infuriating of creatures-- a man of conscience," as John Cassidy wrote in his article "Why Edward Snowden is a Hero." Because, while Jeffrey Toobin wrote in "Edward Snowden is No Hero" that Snowden's leak was cemented in grandiose narcissism over an issue American citizens should have already digested, wasn't it after his leak that there arose an uproar over the NSA activities, which inevitably placed a modicum of agency back in the hands of the American people? I still wonder whether my perspective would be the same had Snowden released files which did more lasting harm to national security. But in that case, would that activism now be violent, instead of

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Snowden, who was a computer systems contractor, worked for the National Security Agency and revealed to the public how the American Government was spying on its own citizens and foreigners. Snowden was committed to the truth which allowed him to reason and understand the difference between what is right and what is legal. Snowden was convinced that the truth requires an individual to do the right thing and not necessarily what is legal. However, doing the right thing could sometimes require an individual to break the law.

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Edward Snowden was the person that leaked over 10,000 documents over the internet, some say he was a hero and some say he was a traitor. The one thing we do know is that because of him we know that the government is always watching us just like big Brother. In the book 1984 Big Brother was a party meaning multiple people created him as one character which is similar to the NSA . In the book it is stated “ It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away.

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