Snowden: Two Years On

Last week, the British newspaper The Sunday Times reported that Chinese and Russian intelligence services had successfully hacked into former NSA analyst-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden’s files, and obtained an extensive list of British field operatives working in foreign countries.  The accuracy of the article was disputed by other individuals and news outlets. Glenn Greenwald, the journalist Snowden worked with to release his original revelations about NSA security practices, stated that there was ‘zero evidence’ of any such leak to Chinese or Russian authorities, and implied that this was a smear campaign on Snowden by the British government. Two years on from when Snowden first leaked the existence of PRISM and the NSA’s extensive personal privacy invasions, he remains a polarizing figure across the world; some praise him as a hero, while others brand him as a traitor.

In some ways, Snowden’s actions feel like they happened just yesterday; in others, they feel like ancient history. In June 2013, Snowden fled the US for Hong Kong, and shortly after, Glenn Greenwald released classified NSA documents provided by Snowden to the world. Snowden revealed to the world how the NSA was violating the privacy rights of Americans; while the NSA had been conducting surveillance on citizens of all nationalities, they were not allowed under American law to spy on American citizens, which is why Snowden caused such a scandal in America. As a result of Snowden’s actions, more and more comprehensive surveillance programs came to light in the coming months, and the world came to realize just how extensive, powerful, and pervasive that national security programs across the globe had become in the wake of 9/11 and the War on Terror.

Since he initially fled the United States for Hong Kong, Snowden has been granted temporary asylum by Russia, and still actively participates in the fight against global surveillance. His American passport had been revoked, and he is now a stateless individual. He faces criminal charges in the United States for compromising many of America’s security initiatives and for endangering many agents operating in foreign territory.

The revelations brought about by Snowden’s leaked documents have ignited the privacy vs. security debate and the role government surveillance has in society. Compelling arguments have been made both for and against the surveillance programs. Their supporters say that they are necessary to protect nations from external threats like terrorism; their detractors respond that they are unconstitutional, and bring us uncomfortably close to totalitarian states as seen in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Yet, no one can be sure that anything has truly changed. Nothing groundbreaking has happened with regard to the NSA’s surveillance policies yet, and the White House shows no signs of changing its stance on it. Despite significant public outcry, it appears that global surveillance has so far still not been curbed. The fight continues, but the opponents of mass surveillance still have a long road ahead of them before they can reclaim the privacy that they are fighting for.

Snowden has been a very polarizing figure, just as the privacy vs. security debate is such a polarizing issue. However, regardless of whether you think he is hero or traitor, no one can deny the impact his actions have had in shaping the world in the past two years.