Kirsti Collins

English 2010

10/7/2014

Edward Snowden and the Unimaginable Act

Throughout the United States and across the globe, the name Edward Snowden is gaining

popularity and fame at a rapid pace. The famous whistleblower is a prime example of a man who showed

the world how to stand up to one of the strongest powers on the Earth; the United States Government. 

Snowden is a computer professional and a former employee of the Central Intelligence and National

Security Agencies. Born on June 21, 1983, the young computer genius worked his way to the top at an

astonishing pace. He gained coveted employment positions and wasted no time in learning all he could

about his area of expertise. (Associated Press) To the average eye, the computer wizard was a normal

man who lived a comfortable lifestyle with luxuries that few in America will ever get to enjoy. However,

these luxuries would be short lived due to Snowden's heroic actions in outing the US Government. 

At a mere 29 years old, Edward Snowden met with The Guardian newspaper columnist Glenn

Greenwald. The meeting served a two-fold purpose of revealing illegal and unethical actions that the NSA

and CIA had been taking, as well as letting the world know that he, Edward Snowden was the

whistleblower. (The guardian) The early 2013 meeting resulted in outrage, raised eyebrows, questions of

patriotism, and acts of heroism.

Snowden hand selected to reveal his secrets to Greenwald, because he wanted to "give the

documents to journalists whose judgment he trusted." (The Guardian) During his interview with

Greenwald, Snowden revealed thousands of classified documents that belonged to the NSA and CIA.

The documents revealed hard proof that the NSA had been breaking an unspeakable number of privacy

laws. Such methods used to gain private information included: taping and recording phone calls, receiving

text messages, having access to private webcam images, Facebook accounts and internet histories.

Naturally, the NSA was outraged when the information leaked. However, when questioned, they provided

no comment, excuse or explanation for their accused actions.  

The NSA does claim, however, that Snowden betrayed them and broke countless privacy laws.

Ironically, I feel that the NSA has betrayed the American people by committing those exact same crimes.

Regardless of who betrayed who, the NSA is unable to locate Snowden at this time, but when they do,

they plan to try him for treachery and espionage.

When asked why he would risk his life and a possibility of a long term prison sentence, all for the

sake of exploiting the government, Snowden replied, "I'm willing to sacrifice all of that I have because I

can't in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties

for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building...my sole

motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them."

(The Guardian)

Although many view Snowden as an un-loyal whistle-blower, I believe him to be a hero. I believe

that as Americans we deserve the right to know who has access to our private information. We have the

right to our basic privacy rights, and any man who is willing to sacrifice all that he has in order to see that

these rights are respected, should be revered as nothing short of a hero.

There are several programs that Edward Snowden revealed on how the NSA accessed our

information and continues to access it. The first one is Phone Collection. The phone collection

program also known as the “215 Program,” allows the NSA to collect phone records of millions of

Americans. These records are collected in bulk whether they are in the U.S. or in other

countries. This program was put in place after Sept. 11, 2001 to help track terrorist and avoid another

attack. The information that is given through this program, deals with cell location. Meaning, that calls are

monitored by where the call took place for both parties of the conversation. The phone numbers to both

phones being used, the amount of time the call lasted and where the call was placed are all stored in this

Program. The conversations themselves are not recorded. 

Verizon is one phone company that has been known to participate in 215. The company

is supposed to let the NSA know of new phone numbers being added to the system and phone numbers

that are being terminated. According to the leak by Edward Snowden, he only mentioned Verizon, but

implied that all cellphone companies have played a part in this program. (Washington Post)

Another program called PRISM, carries information on fiber optic cables. This allows the NSA to

collect content from search history, contents of emails, file transfers, video and voice chats, photos, and

voice over IP. The program collects a wide range of data from nine companies. These providers are

Microsoft (Hotmail, SkyDrive, and Outlook), Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Pal Talk, YouTube, Skype (which

is part of Microsoft now), AOL, and Apple. (New York Time) There are more companies that are

supposed to start the program as well. The NSA paid millions of dollars to cover the costs of major

Internet companies involved in the Prism program. Under the U.S. law, these companies are not allowed

to release information. However, under the Prism program it allows the NSA direct access to the

companies’ servers. This program allows the NSA to obtain communications without going directly to the

companies to request the information; they can also receive information on targeted users as real time or

use the information that is stored. The NSA states that this is one of the most important and productive

programs for them. The FBI is also involved, acting as a buffer between the agency and the private

companies. (Washington Post)

 

 

 Source: Washington Post 

 

Upstream is yet another program that the NSA uses. It is a collection of communication on fiber

cables that is stored as data flows to and from two different points of origin. This is used concurrently with

Program Prism. This program also has programs within itself. Some of these programs

are: Fairview, Stormbrew, Oakstar, and Blarney. These cables go across the U.S. and under the sea.

After the data is collected from both Project Prism and Upstream it is kept for twelve months in a

database system called Marina.

Here is a slide from the NSA showing that both programs should be used to effectively collect data.

 

  Source: Washington Post Project Tempora, is a program designed for the British GCHQ, (Government Communication

Headquarters) it is the UK’s equivalent to the NSA. They focus on communication intelligence. This

program allows the GCHQ to tap into and store large amounts of data that comes from fiber optic cables.

Through these cables, they have access to phone calls and the Internet. By using the cables, they can

store data for up to 30 days. This gives them time to sift through and determine what needs to be kept

and thrown out. Edward Snowden said, “they (GCHQ) are worse than the U.S.” (The

Guardian) Project Tempora allowed the UK to produce large amounts of metadata, which tells the GCHQ

who has been contacting whom. It does not give detailed information. For example, emails showed who

sent it and who received it, date and time. “Through this program GCHQ was handling 600m "telephone

events" each day, had tapped more than 200 fiber optic cables and were able to process data from at

least 46 of them at a time.” (The Guardian) The British’s goal with this program is to master the

Internet. This map shows the networking of cables from North America.

Source: Washington Post

 

  XKeyscore is a surveillance project similar to Tempora, which allows the NSA to collect and

analyze whole countries communications. The purpose of this program is to search the metadata that

is in Tempora, along with browser history…even when there is no email account. This

program tracks everything that a typical user would do online, allowing the NSA to search through e-mails

for content through the body, if there are any webpages and documents attached, and to search the to,

from, cc, bcc lines, this also allows them to look at social media accounts such as Facebook. The content

that is collected in this program is kept for 3 to 5 days due to the vast amounts of data that is being

collected daily, so the NSA has created a multi tiered system that allows them to store information. For

example the level Pinwale can store data for up to five years.

Source: The Guardian 

“In 2012, there were at least 41 billion total records collected and stored in XKeyscore for a single 30-day

period.” (The Guardian)

Source: The Guardian

Source: The Guardian

Cracking Cryptography is one of the last programs revealed by Edward Snowden. The code

name for this program is Bullrun for the NSA, and Edgehill for GCHQ. They are named after civil war

battles that took place in each country, both the NSA and GCHQ are in the process of building a

supercomputer to break or decode any type of encryption worldwide. (Newsweek) If this is achieved, they

will have the power to hack into our banking systems, credit card companies, retailers, brokerages,

government systems, and healthcare providers systems. The NSA already has the basic building blocks

to achieve that goal. The NSA has a budget of 250 million dollars per year toward this program. By

weakening the security of software that is there to help protect us, it leaves Internet users more

vulnerable to attacks.

On the far left, a debate rages as to whether NSA leaker Edward Snowden is a hero or a heretic.

Some claim he is a “narcissist who turned into a double agent by China or possible other countries.”

(New York Times) Gordon Chang, author of “The Coming Collapse of China,” speculated in a TV

interview, that Snowden was a “drop box.” He also added that the volume of information and the timing of

the leaks were both suspicious; coming right before President Obama meeting with new Chinese

President Xi Jinping. John Bolton, a former US Ambassador to the United Nations said, “I do consider him

a traitor. He has taken vital secrets of the United States and undoubtedly given some to China and

Russia.” Snowden is not in good standing with the government in the United States, and because of his

choices to disclose vital information it is without a doubt that his actions have caused major friction and

tensions in lands and governments abroad as well.”

In most companies across the world, trust and confidentiality is crucial. For the employers and

employees in the NSA and CIA, it is vital. As a result of Snowden's infamous leak, the US government

has created and implemented stricter rules regarding the hiring process. Snowden has successfully

shaken the NSA's and CIA's faith in loyal employees, proving that he has now clearly affected every high

program in the country. 

On his crusade for a more private-based America, Snowden has created enemies. His

trustworthiness, facts, and documents are always in question. People accuse him of being crazy and in

need of attention. Others call him a rebel. Most anti-Snowden movers consider him guilty of espionage.

However, in order for someone to be convicted of espionage, an individual would have had to sell

information to a specific country. There is no proof that he sold any information, and as of today, 190

countries possess information on the leaked documents and information. 190 countries just received

plausible reasons to distrust the United States. Snowden has put the US in a tricky position, because

now, we need to find a way to please 190 countries...yet at the same time, gain confidences while

mistrusting those all around us. (National Journal)

A quote by David Barrett, a national security expert teaching at Villanova University said, “I would

regard him as a defector. There are a lot of different names that are used to describe him: whistleblower,

leaker.” Later on he said, “Sure, I’d call him a defector. This is a very serious event for a person who

works for an intelligence agency, who signs documents agreeing to keep things secret. I think it is a very

serious thing to reveal those secrets – to leave this country and reveal these secrets.” (Time) Ultimately,

many believe that Snowden has not only betrayed the United States, but also has helped every other

country in the world gain an advantage over us.

No matter what Edward's personal outcome is, a few things are for certain: First, because of his

actions, the US has cracked down and made it more difficult for people to receive jobs within the

government agencies. (Foreign Affairs) Second, the US government officials are not certain, and have no

proof that Edward Snowden released documents just to journalists. Because of this, it has put a twist on

our relationships with other countries, and therefore, we have to be a little more strategic with our

communications with other countries. (Christian Science Monitor)

Edward Snowden will live through his life telling himself he has done the right thing, but has he?

Did he ever consider how his actions would affect those around him? Did he ever think of how others

would respond? As hard as it is for Americans to believe Snowden's story, most will agree that they will

usually take the government’s side; simply because the government holds more power than Snowden or

any other human being. Americans subconsciously understand that the NSA and the government are

keeping secrets. They are, after all, the government. However, people put their trust in it because they

believe that the government is protecting the American people and has the people's best interest at

heart. 

On the far right, we have the true patriots. When people think of America, they think of it as being

the land of the free. For Centuries, America has lived by that slogan. Today, it would appear that the

slogan has changed, leaving millions to question just how free America really is. Edward Snowden

showed the world, that when saying, "The land of the free," you would actually need to add the word “but”

at the end of the slogan. By leaking classified documents to the press, Snowden revealed that the NSA

exceeded its mandate and abused its authority by unconstitutionally collecting information. Information

like phone calls, email messages, our friends and contacts, how we spend our days and how we spend

our nights. Last time I checked, our privacy wasn’t classified information from ourselves. So to say, “The

land of the free BUT we invade your privacy," would be spot on. In the IV Amendment of the Bill of Rights,

created by the American Government for the American people, it states:

 “The right of the people to secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against

unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon

probable cause, supported by Oath of affirmation, and particularly describing the places to be searched,

and the persons or things to be seized." (Bill of Rights)

This is only one, of twenty-seven amendments that guarantees a number of rights for the

American country. Such privileges include personal freedoms, a checks and balances system in the

government's proceedings, and reserved powers to the states and the public. In order for the NSA to

legally monitor and/or collect data on a person, they would need to present substantial evidences to the

courts that prove that he/she is in some way linked with a terrorist cell. Only then, will the courts review

the evidence and issue a warrant giving the NSA direct access to an individual's personal information. In

this case regarding Snowden, the NSA would have to convince the courts that the world is somehow

linked to terrorists and is conspiring against the US. 

Ultimately, the government that was designed to protect the rights of the American people, has

been unethically breaking those exact same rights. Edward Snowden's documents that claim the NSA

has performed unreasonable searches and seizures without real probable cause, is proof of those broken

rights. "The NSA systematically undermined the basic encryption systems of the Internet, making it

impossible to know if sensitive banking or medical data is truly private, damaging businesses that

depended on this trust." Furthermore, "His leaks revealed that James Clapper Jr., the Director of National

Intelligence, lied to Congress when testifying in March, that the NSA was not collecting data on millions of

Americans." (New York Times)

If Edward Snowden is to be charged with espionage and theft against the American Government,

then the American government ought to be charged with the same crime against the American people.

The NSA was caught red handed in its lies and deceits. So to convict Edward Snowden for telling the

world of its’ treachery, is to convict the eyewitness in a murder investigation. Edward Snowden should be

regarded as a patron and not the traitor our government so vigorously calls him. "Considering the

enormous value of the information he has revealed and the abuses he has exposed, Mr. Snowden

deserves better than a life of permanent exile, fear and flight. He may have committed a crime to do so,

but he has done his country a great service. It is time for the United States to offer Mr. Snowden a plea of

bargain or some form of clemency that would allow him to return home, face at least substantially reduced

punishment in light of his role as a whistle-blower, and have the hope of a life advocating for greater

privacy and far stronger oversight of the runaway intelligence community." (New York Times)

Despite Snowden's actions to leak NSA information, I believe him to be a hero. Edward Snowden

took courageous steps in leaking top secret documents, and not only lost everything of value to him, but

claimed that he would have done it all over again if only to "reveal even for an instant" the wrong doings

of the government. (The Guardian) Snowden revealed that programs like 215 (collects phone

information), PRISM (carries information on fiber optic cables), Tempora (designed for GCHQ. UK's

equivalent to the NSA). XKEYSCORE (similar to Tempora), and Cracking Cryptography (super computer

that breaks codes that have to deal with banks, credit cards, retailers and brokerage companies), have

taken just about every form of communication used by people and made it their own. They invaded every

aspect of our privacy and made all things known unto them. 

Despite Snowden's actions, according to the IV Amendment in the Bill of Rights, the NSA has

crossed its boundaries. As American citizens, we are all given the right to freedom and personal privacy,

and because of the government's actions, those rights have been unjustly taken away. The Bill of Rights

was created and implemented to prevent the higher powers of "using power that they have not been

granted." (The Guardian) With Snowden's documents, we have proof that those exact same people that

we should trust are instead, people that we should mistrust. Snowden is a hero for exposing the NSA. He

should be seen as a patriot who deeply cares about the Bill of Rights and basic human privacy. He should

not be seen as a traitor for doing what we wish more people would do. 

I am for Edward Snowden, because I believe in a free America. I believe that our privacy is and

should remain private. I believe that the government should be called out on its actions and that changes

be implemented. Again, I believe Edward Snowden is a hero. “He may not be allowed back on American

soil, but Edward Snowden is becoming a pioneer for an America that is finally beginning to value

information and transparency over pride and fear.” (Esquire) He willingly gave up his family, friends,

comfortable lifestyle, and is willing to suffer persecution and his safety, all in the hope of bettering this

land. How many Americans do you know that would be willing to sacrifice everything they had for the

exact same cause?

Works Cited

Associated Press. “NSA Collects All Phone Calls in a Foreign Country.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2014. Web.18 Mar. 2014.

Clayton, Mark. “What, exactly, has new Edward Snowden ‘manifesto’ accomplished?” Christian Science Monitor [Boston, MA] 05 11 2013, n.p. Print. 16 Mar. 2014.

Farrell, Henry and Finnemore, Martha. “The End of Hypocrisy.” Foreign Affairs 92.6 (2013): 22-26. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.

Greenwald, Glenn, Ewen MacAskill, and Laura Poitras. “Edward Snowden: the Whistleblower behind the NSA Surveillance Revelations.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 10 June. 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

Hirsh, Michael and Sorcher, Sara. “Edward Snowden is Completely Wrong.” National Journal, National Journal, 4 June 2013.  Web. 9 June 2013.

Kloc, Joe. “Edward Snowden Talks About Fighting for Your Rights to Privacy at SXSW.”News Week, Newsweek. 10 Mar. 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2014

Maass, Peter. Interview by Andrew C. Revkin. “Q. & A. Edward Snowden Speaks to Peter Maass.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Aug. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.

Scherer, Michael and Shuster, Simon. “Number Two Edward Snowden The Dark Prophet.” Time. Time Magazine. 182.26 (2013):78. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.

VonDrehle, David, and Massimo Calabresi. “The Surveillance Society.” Time. Time Magazine. 183.7 (2013): 32. Academic Search Premier, Web. 28 Feb. 2014.