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Edward Snowden biography and career
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Before all of the top secret NSA (National Security Agency) documents on which details of a global surveillance system run by NSA were breached, Edward Snowden was an American computer specialist, a CIA member, and an NSA contractor. Edward Snowden was a regular, wealthy, government employee with some great positions and credentials. He was an American born man and was serving his country. He won the Sam Adams award which is given once a year to an intelligence professional who shows great integrity to the CIA. Many other recipients of this award have also been whistle blowers like Snowden. Before all the leaking and background information is given keep the question of hero or villain in your mind. In short, Edward Snowden released information that the United States government was keeping secret. His most recent job, where he compiled most of the information for his breach, included working for Booz Allen Hamilton at the National Security Agency in Hawaii (the biggest security establishment in the world). Snowden, as reason for his security breach said “I don’t want to live in a society that does these sorts of things.” In this statement he refers to the immense secrets that the U.S. government is keeping from its people. So, the debate still goes on: Yes Edward Snowden broke the law, but was it for a good reason? Now, as to who the breach went to. At first he planned on telling the story to the New York Times, but in the end he decided not to because he found out that the New York Times had a great scoop in “the election year of 2004- that the Bush administration, post 9/11, allowed the NSA to snoop on U.S. citizens without warrants- but had sat on it for a year before publishing.” Snowden said that “this was the turning poin... ... middle of paper ... ...art a new life for himself in Russia. Now, the debate rages on: Is Edward Snowden an American hero or an American villain. The United States government wants to bring treason and espionage against him for leaking some of the most confidential government secrets, but, what most people didn’t know before this whole debacle was that the government was uncontrollably spying on its people using any type of phone, tablet, or computer, Now the government’s response to the outrage of the people would be that they are protecting them from possible terrorists, but some may still ask the question of: Is the government violating my privacy? After gathering all the information, it is up to you to decide: Is Edward Snowden an American hero for exposing to the people of the U.S. the government’s dirty spying secrets or is he an American traitor guilty of espionage and treason?
People often talk about how “evil” Benedict Arnold was, how his name was often associated with the word “Traitor”. Then we hear how he was: brilliant, victorious leader, very successful, credited battle hero, and the list goes on. But do we really know if Benedict Arnold was as bad as his reputation proceed? Was Benedict Arnold a Traitor or a Hero?
When you think of the name Andrew Carnegie, does the words hero, or non-heroic come after it?
Do you watch football? If so I am sure you have heard of the Green Bay Packers, and if you have heard of them, i’m sure you know who Aaron Rodgers is. I believe he is a hero and have research to back it up… but do you? Throughout history, many heroes have affected society for the better. Aaron Rodgers is a significant hero. This is seen through his passion, determination, and leadership skills. While he may not be saving lives, chasing bad guys, or changing the world he holds many heroic traits that I think should qualify him for being a hero, as he is too many people.
him as he gazed down despondently at the grim secret Snowden had spilled all over the
Andrew Carnegie, a philanthropist who has helped hundreds. But there is a side of him that not many knew. Is Andrew Carnegie a hero? Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland. He and his family were in poverty, living in an attic of a weavers cottage. For a better life, his family moved to America. There Carnegie started working as a bobbin boy. Carnegie later became locally famous, and was later given a well paying job. Andrew Carnegie was not a hero because he was greedy, and prideful. In the Andrew Carnegie,“Wealth” North American Review, June 1889 text it states that Carnegie did not leave much fortune to his own family, because he believed it to be “misguided affection” This was selfish of him to give his own family enough money, the money that they deserve. In addition in the Cartoon Published in The Saturday Globe it shows that while Andrew Carnegie was giving money to other countries, his workers needed the money the most to be able to support their families.
Edward Snowden was an American computer specialist that worked for the CIA and as a contractor for the NSA. He disclosed classified files over several media sources, that were evidence that the NSA was collecting data from the phone calls and internet activities of most Americans. Snowden thought that by revealing these secret government activities that Americans would realized that their privacy is being invaded and that they need to do something about it.
After September 11th, Americans looked to the government for protection and reassurance. However, they did not expect to find out thirteen years later that the government did this by using technology to spy on Americans, as well as other countries. George W. Bush began the policy shortly after the terrorist attack and Barack Obama continued it. There have been many confrontations over the years about the extent of the N.S.A.’s spying; however, the most recent whistle-blower, Edward Snowden, leaked information that caused much upset throughout America (EFF). It has also brought many people to question: is he a hero or a traitor?
Yes, legally Edward Snowden did break a law however, when the law he broke is looked at it makes people a little uneasy. Legally Edward Snowden broke the U.S Espionage act however, when looked at this law it seems a little unsettling to people. Under this act, no person shall let the American people know of any kind of government affair (PoliticalUSA). No matter what it is, no matter what it could mean for the American people, or no matter who horrible it is, if that organization of government doesn’t want people to know than legally then no person no matter who it is shall tell. This law is extremely dangerous in the hands of people who will abuse its power, which has already been proven is the U.S government. This allows them to be able to get away with anything they please no matter what. They can go about the horrible things that they are doing in secrecy but, this law allows them to be able to get away with it. They are doing things that the American people need to know however, under this act it allows them to do it. A lot of people think that this is okay because, they don’t want people telling important American military strategies to the wrong people. However, this act and those wishes are two very different things that they are trying to cover up. Military strategies do need to be able to kept secret because, our troops do need to be able to keep safe overseas fighting for our country. This however, is having whatever they do become such an important thing. Things like the NSA spying on its own citizens are being throw under the rug. This act, which was passed during 1917 during the first world war, goes against the first amendment (OWS). The first amendment states that no law should be passed that diminishes a person’s right to free speech, right to free religion, and freedom of speech. However, the espionage act is somehow in affect in todays world and
In May of 2013 Edward Snowden who was then working at a National Security Agency office in Oahu, Hawaii began copying top secret documents that belonged to the American government as he believed the documentation contained unethical and immoral content that he believed the American people and the world in general needed to know about. (Snowden, 2014) The documentation that he collated contained information regarding projects such as Prism, which is a top secret NSA surveillance program that has the ability to access the data servers of some of America's large...
In early June 2013, Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former defense contractor who had access to NSA database while working for an intelligence consulting company, leaked classified documents reports that the National Security Agency (NSA) is recording phone calls of millions of Americans along with gathering private data and spying foreign Internet activity. The Washington Post later broke the news disclosed PRISM, a program can collect data on Internet users. The leaked documents publicly stated a vast objection. Many people were shocked by the scale of the programs, even elected representatives were unaware of the surveillance range. A nationwide debate over privacy rights have been sparked. Although supporters claim that the NSA only does its best to protect the United States from terrorists as well as respecting Americans' rights and privacy, many civil rights advocates feel that the government failed to be clear about the limit of the surveillance programs, threatening Americans' civil...
In the past few years the National Security Agency has been all over the news, and not in a good way. Former contractor of the National Security Edward Snowden leaked classified documents to several media outlets on such a scale the world took notice. The day the world learned about the Prism program among others was June, 5, 2013 when Ed Snowden gave the specifics of the programs to The Guardian, and the Washington Post. Ed Snowden turned those secrets over as a member of the NSA but fled the country before the leaks so he would not be imprisoned by the authorities. Immediately after the leaks Ed Snowden became infamous with around the clock watch as to what country would grant his asylum, he currently resides in a Moscow airport pending appeal (Staff, 2013). He claimed he “did not want to live in a society like this” that’s why he decided to turn over states secret for all the world to see (Staff, 2013). Now that you know the man behind the leaks it is time that you find out about the program, and the reach and impact it really had.
Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency (N.S.A) subcontractor turned whistle-blower is nothing short of a hero. His controversial decision to release information detailing the highly illegal ‘data mining’ practices of the N.S.A have caused shockwaves throughout the world and have raised important questions concerning how much the government actually monitors its people without their consent or knowledge. Comparable to Mark Felt in the Watergate scandals, Daniel Ellsberg with the Pentagon Papers, Edward Snowden joins the rank of infamous whistleblowers who gave up their jobs, livelihood, and forever will live under scrutiny of the public all in the service to the American people. Edward Snowden released information detailing the extent of the N.S.A breaches of American privacy and in doing so, became ostracized by the media and barred from freely reentering America, his home country.
The American government used to be able to keep the people in happy ignorance to the fact that they watch every move they make. After certain revelations of people like Edward Snowden, the public knows the extent of the government spying. On June 5, 2013 Edward Snowden leaked documents of the NSA to the Guardian (The Guardian 2). The whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed to the world how the American government collects information like cell phone metadata, Internet history, emails, location from phones, and more. President Obama labeled the man a traitor because he showed the world the illegal acts the NSA performs on US citizens (Service of Snowden 1). The government breached the people’s security, and now the people are afraid because everyone is aware of how the US disapproves of people who do not agree with their programs. Obama said that these programs find information about terrorists living in the US, but he has lit...
To give the full picture of Edward Snowden I must start before his role in the government. Edward Snowden never graduated from high school, nor did he graduate from community college (Yann 1). In 2003 He joined the U.S. Army briefly until he was discharged when he broke both his legs in a training accident (BBC 1). His first job with the NSA was as a security guard, until he took a job at the CIA dealing with computer security (Yann 2). Edward’s final job, the one that gave him access to the leaks, was in Hawaii with a six figure salary (BBC 2). Snowden was a systems administrator, meaning he had the responsibility to go through the NSA database and move extremely sensitive documents to a secure location (NPR 1). His position was the perfect place for him to leak all the secrets the NSA held close. Edward Snowden’s activities were seen by the NSA the entire time, he didn’t have to hide that he was taking the documents it was his job (NPR 2). Mr. Snowden left for Hong Kong after he leaked his information, but once there he flew to Moscow because Hong Kong had a treaty with the...
It is reasonable to argue that, governmental institutions or people with authority are subject to withhold a great deal of information from society. Many may argue that secrets are kept to ensure the safety of the nation. Thus, upholding the governmental duty of protecting the nation against possible threats. On the other hand, many believe that secrets may exist which violate our constitutional rights. Over the last year, Edward Snowden, has made headline news for leaking sensitive governmental information to the press. Edward Snowden is a 29-year-old high school drop-out, who was a tech specialist for the National Security Association. Snowden had discovered and later exposed the NSA for monitoring the nations e-mails, phone calls, and internet searches. As the allegations spread like wild fire, Edward Snowden sought asylum in Russia for one year. Snowden had a valid and justifiable reason to expose the NSA to the world because they were in violation of our fourth Amendment rights to unreasonable searches and seizures. The government called him a traitor, while others viewed him as a hero for exposing the government. Edward Snowden is a whistle blower because he felt that it is up to society to decide if governmental practices are just or unjust. Snowden does “express the highest respect for the law”, and he wanted to protect the right of privacy for American citizens.