Backlash of the Leak of NSA Surveillance Programs

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It is the way of life in this age, to search the internet for leisure, research and general amusement. When you are not able to communicate with someone face to face, you pick up the phone. When you venture out of your house for any reason and into populated areas, you are recorded by businesses, photographed by red light cameras, and recorded by traffic cameras. The government has the capacity to watch all of this use. Last year, Edward Snowden’s leaked documents proved it that Big Brother is indeed watching. (Orwell 1) After the NSA and CIA leaks last year surfaced, many questions arose. Who is the man behind the leaks and what does his future hold with the United States government? What are the surveillance programs and their purpose? What are some of the ethical concerns? What are the pros and cons of secret surveillance programs? Does this violate our rights? Are these programs legal? How do these programs and the subsequent leaks affect foreign relations? Edward Snowden, former CIA employee and contractor for the NSA, revealed last year the secret NSA surveillance programs that were used to monitor the United States and foreign countries for terrorists. In May 2013, he met with journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras and disclosed countless NSA files, that were then published. The files contained information on several secret surveillance programs, as well as other not yet published files. Snowden has fled to other countries for asylum, since the United States government has charged him with espionage and theft of government property. A charge that was expected, as he he predicted that they would "say I have broken the Espionage Act and helped our enemies, but that can be used against anyone who points out how ma... ... middle of paper ... ...len. "NSA leaker outs himself, says surveillance programs threaten liberty." CNN Wire 10 June 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. Deb Riechmann. “NSA Spying Threatens U.S. Foreign Policy Efforts”. Huffington Post. 26 Oct 2013. "Three secret programs no longer secret." USA Today 10 June 2013: n. pag. Print. USA Patriot Act. Pub. L. 107-56. 115 Stat. 201-225. 26 Oct. 2001. Web. Vile, John R. "Terrorist Surveillance Program." Encyclopedia of the Fourth Amendment. Ed. John R. Vile and David L. Hudson, Jr. Vol. 2. SAGE Reference, 2013. 615. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. Yeh, Brian and Doyle, Charles. USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005: A Legal Analysis. December 21, 2006. Web

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