The constant argument after June 2013 regards whether Edward Snowden is a hero or a traitor. One who defends him as a hero would argue that the public had a right to know and that Snowden was doing a public service. However, one persecuting him as a traitor would say that his very actions made us vulnerable and now the enemy has the ability to locate an Achilles heel of the government’s national security inactive. In other words, Snowden handed over confidential information to the public. The only way to do so would also make this information available to the enemies of the United States. Snowden was actually doing the public a service by releasing this information. If Snowden never made this decision, the public would still have a blind eye to how much the government is spying on their daily lives. Specifically, the public would have no idea that their privacy was being infringed day after day.
Privacy has been decreasing at exponential rates for years, so it was important for the public to be aware of this in order to make an attempt to save privacy from being completely diminished. This did come with a sacrifice. There is no way in denying that Snowden’s choice also informed enemies of the United States the same confidential information. This could create further problems down the road. Although, in this aspect, it was a sacrifice worth taking. Sometimes, as we see demonstrated through Snowden’s actions, the only way to truly make a difference is to sacrifice something in the process.
This is a constant debate even to this day. With the advancement of social media technologies, the idea of privacy is manipulated and changes day after day. To the public, the consensus on Snowden is often split. To further acknowledge Snowden as a traitor, one most believe that the government should continue to keep these secrets from the public and should continue spying on their citizens from every angle possible. A powerful question to deconstruct is to what degree does the government want all of this surveillance ? The answer goes far past the common justification of international protection from terrorism. The truth is, even though terrorism is a massive threat, the government has an alternate agenda. "These programs were never about terrorism: they’re about economic spying, social control, and diplomatic manipulation. They’re about power." (Edward Snowden).
I believe that Snowden is correct to a certain degree. I believe that at first, it was about terrorism, but the power has been manipulated to occupy other means. This is another factor of how Snowden is in fact a hero and not a traitor.
Privacy is quite often under appreciated. One day, if policies and spying continue on this track, complete privacy will be a whisper of the past. Snowden graced our citizens with the knowledge early on so we can do something about it. We must fight and figure out a way to preserve the privacy we have left. The question is no longer if privacy is dying, but simply how fast it is dying.
