Year 2013 was flooded with headlines on Edward Snowden, the former National Security agency subcontractor, when he leaked secret information about the NSA surveillance activities. This was followed by several debates on the effectiveness and efficiency of mass surveillance, the idea of privacy of data as an individual’s right under article 17 and violation of espionage act. This report covers the story of self confessed NSA whistleblower who leaked official files, the reasons behind his actions, the effects that followed and the codes of ethical conduct breached.
Findings
Born in North Caroline in 1983, Snowden started working for National Security Agency (NSA) through the defense subcontractor Booz Allen in Hawaii. While working for NSA, he began collecting top-secret documents, which he found disturbing and termed them as invasive spying practices against American citizens under the name of Mass surveillance. In may 2013, before leaving his ‘very luxurious life’, $200000 salary and girlfriend behind, he began copying vast and damping information on the NSA’s domestic surveillance practices which included spying on millions of American citizens under the You need to protect or safeguard inner security risks than surrender to giving up your rights. We need to understand that by carrying out such practices, we are creating a balance between well-being and privacy of others. In a democracy the government is of the people, by the people and for the people. Therefore, violation of rights is incredibly hard to justify. There has to be a greater transparency along with new protections for privacy in the digital age. Bringing attention to privacy issues while also mitigating security risks by a system of checks and balances, which failed in the case of the NSA, should be
