Many Americans reference WikiLeaks as they do with the film Inception, even if we aren’t really sure what it means. Edward Snowden because a household name for a brief period during May-June 2013 as he had leaked information that he had access to as he had been employed by the federal government at the National Security Agency (NSA). Prior to this event, there had been almost no reports of leaks coming from American agents. This became an international event as he would eventually seek refuge outside of the United States to flee prosecution.
Snowden accepted responsibility for leaking these documents in July of 2013 and was willing to pay the consequences but this seemed to me more than this young man was ready for. His rationale for this exposure is that he saw the government treating innocent Americans as they would with suspected terrorists in the level they invaded privacy. A majority of his initial interviews would come out of Hong Kong, as they were not looking to prosecute him for his crimes in the United States.
There became a drastic divide in those who agreed and disagrees with Snowden's actions. There were those who understood that he meant to protect those who were unaware that the government was victimizing them while others saw this as the equivalent of treason. On June 21st of that year, the Department of Justice released what he would inevitably be charged with. While there was a long list of minor charges that were thrown in, the most notable were the two charges of violating the Espionage Act of 1917.
Those who were close to Snowden weren't even aware of what he was doing. He tread lightly in the earlier steps of his plans as there were so many ways that everything could crumble down and be unsuccessful. The world has bear witness to how strategic he is with his plans and executing them.
When Snowden had worked for the United States Government, he had taken a vow to protect the information that they are given but at the same time, they are also supposed to protect the citizens in which they serve. As the second part of that resonated with him more than anything else, it is very clear as to how he rationalized what he had done was for the greater good.
However, for those who are currently working in the field that Snowden had previously worked for, their jobs have been made exponentially more difficult. The United States Government has to watch out for loose ends and possible repeated events of employees leaking information.
There are those who will call him a whistleblower, vigilante, or hero but what is worse is that there are people that are unaware of this occurrence. Technology has allowed for the government to peer into the lives of private citizens in which they have no reason to be suspicious of but there is nothing stopping this. Edward Snowden believed that the American citizens had the right to know to what degree their privacy was being invaded by the government they had trusted undoubtedly.
Russia had granted him asylum for a year but had soon extended it to three years. While he still currently resided in Russia, he has found ways through the means of social media to stay relevant in the United States and to be proactive. He will likely remain there until he finds a new place to seek asylum as if he were to return to the United States, he would face immediate prosecution.
As American citizens, we have the responsibility to remain proactive and aware of what is going on around us. With the release of 'Snowden' in theaters, his message is continuing to find ways to maintain momentum and remain relevant. While the major event began three years ago, it has created a snowball effect which hasn't seemed to slow down in the slightest bit.
