Snowden's Sacrifice: Laws Broken, Secrets Revealed

Edward Snowden is a former NSA intelligence contractor and whistleblower who leaked classified documents revealing the existence of global surveillance programs. In 2013, Snowden leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) and was indicted for espionage. He was charged with theft of government property and two counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917. Snowden's actions were deemed by many legal experts and the US government to have violated the Espionage Act of 1917, which identifies the leak of state secrets as an act of treason.

Snowden's actions were deemed a violation of the Espionage Act of 1917

Edward Snowden's actions were deemed a violation of the Espionage Act of 1917. In 2013, Snowden, a former CIA systems administrator, leaked confidential government documents to the press, revealing the existence of government surveillance programs.

The Espionage Act of 1917 identifies the leak of state secrets as an act of treason. Snowden's actions were deemed a violation of this Act, and he was charged with two counts of violating it, as well as theft of government property. Snowden's leak revealed that the National Security Agency (NSA) was collecting data on millions of ordinary Americans, including phone calls, emails, and internet activity. This was a significant overreach of the NSA's authority and an invasion of privacy.

Snowden argued that he had a moral obligation to act and a duty to inform the public of the government's actions. He claimed that he tried to raise ethical concerns through internal channels but was ignored. Many agreed with Snowden, defending his actions as ethical and arguing that he acted for the public good. They claimed that even if he was legally culpable, he was not ethically culpable because the law itself was unjust and unconstitutional.

However, others, including the Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder, disagreed, stating that Snowden "broke the law" and "caused harm" to national security. He faced strong opposition from government officials, who condemned his actions as causing grave damage to US intelligence capabilities. Snowden's leak also sparked debates about the balance between national security and individual privacy, with some arguing that his actions endangered national security and helped terrorists avoid detection.

Snowden's actions had far-reaching consequences, leading to a global reckoning with privacy rights and government overreach. They also prompted discussions about the ethical implications of whistleblowing and the role of journalism in exposing government secrets. Snowden's actions were deemed illegal, but some argued that he performed a public service by bringing attention to the government's unconstitutional surveillance programs.

He exposed the NSA's domestic eavesdropping operation

Edward Snowden exposed the National Security Agency's (NSA) domestic eavesdropping operation, revealing the existence of global surveillance programs. In 2013, Snowden leaked highly classified information from the NSA, exposing the agency's secret database of US telephone records – the who, the how, the when, and the where of millions of mobile calls.

Snowden's actions revealed that the NSA was not only monitoring suspected terrorists but also collecting data on millions of ordinary Americans. Phone calls, emails, and internet activity were all being monitored by the agency. This level of overreach was not only illegal but also wholly unconstitutional. Snowden's revelations brought these abuses to light, forcing a global reckoning with privacy rights and government overreach.

The exposure of the NSA's domestic eavesdropping operation had far-reaching consequences. An appeals court found the program to be unlawful, and US intelligence leaders who defended it were deemed not truthful. Snowden's actions also sparked intense debates on privacy and warrantless domestic surveillance, with some arguing that he was a traitor who had betrayed his country, while others defended his actions as ethical and justified.

Snowden himself argued that he had a moral obligation to act, stating that he had a duty "to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them." He believed that the government's violation of privacy had to be exposed, regardless of legality. Snowden's actions continue to be a subject of debate, with some seeing him as a whistleblower who exposed government corruption, while others view him as a criminal who broke the law and endangered national security.

Snowden revealed the NSA's collection of data on millions of Americans

In 2013, Edward Snowden, a former NSA intelligence contractor, leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA). Snowden's disclosures revealed global surveillance programs, many of which were run by the NSA and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, in cooperation with telecommunication companies and European governments.

Snowden revealed that the NSA was secretly building a vast database of US telephone records. This was the first and arguably the most explosive of the Snowden revelations published by the Guardian newspaper in 2013. The evidence showed that the NSA was collecting the who, the how, the when, and the where of millions of mobile calls.

Up until that moment, top intelligence officials publicly insisted that the NSA never knowingly collected information on Americans at all. After the program's exposure, US officials argued that the spying had played a crucial role in fighting domestic extremism. They cited the case of four San Diego residents—Basaaly Saeed Moalin, Ahmed Nasir Taalil Mohamud, Mohamed Mohamud, and Issa Doreh—who were accused of providing aid to religious fanatics in Somalia. US officials insisted that these four individuals were convicted in 2013 thanks to the NSA's telephone record spying. However, the Ninth Circuit ruled that these claims were "inconsistent with the contents of the classified record."

In 2020, seven years after Snowden's initial revelations, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the NSA's warrantless telephone dragnet that secretly collected millions of Americans' telephone records violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and may have been unconstitutional. This ruling vindicated Snowden's decision to go public with evidence of the NSA's domestic eavesdropping operation.

He leaked classified information from the National Security Agency

Edward Snowden, an American-Russian former NSA intelligence contractor and whistleblower, leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013. Snowden's disclosures revealed global surveillance programs, many of which were run by the NSA and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, in cooperation with telecommunication companies and European governments.

Snowden's actions violated the Espionage Act of 1917, which identifies the leak of state secrets as an act of treason. The Espionage Act was not the only law Snowden broke, as he was also charged with theft of government property. Snowden's leak of state secrets was an illegal act, but he argued that he had a moral obligation to inform the public of the government's violation of their privacy.

Snowden's revelations exposed the NSA's collection of data on millions of ordinary Americans. Phone calls, emails, internet activity—nothing was off-limits. This level of overreach was not only illegal but also wholly unconstitutional. Snowden's actions sparked a global reckoning with privacy rights and government overreach.

In the aftermath of his disclosures, Snowden fled to Russia and was granted asylum. He currently holds Russian citizenship and permanent residency in the country. Despite facing US espionage charges, Snowden has defended his actions as a duty to inform the public of the government's activities.

Snowden's revelations were an attack on America

Edward Snowden's revelations about the US government's surveillance programs were not an attack on America. On the contrary, they were a defence of the country's democratic ideals and a way to hold the government accountable for its actions.

Snowden, a former CIA systems administrator and computer expert, leaked confidential information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013. He revealed that the NSA was collecting data on millions of ordinary Americans, including phone calls, emails, and internet activity. This was a significant overreach of the government's powers and a violation of Americans' privacy rights and constitutional protections.

Some people viewed Snowden as a traitor who had broken the law, specifically the Espionage Act of 1917, which identifies the leak of state secrets as an act of treason. The US government charged Snowden with two counts of violating this Act, as well as theft of government property. Snowden himself acknowledged that he had broken the law but argued that he had a moral obligation to expose the government's violation of its citizens' privacy.

Snowden's actions sparked intense debates about national security and individual privacy, both in the US and internationally. His revelations forced a global reckoning with privacy rights and government overreach, leading to a cultural discussion about the balance between national security and information privacy.

In 2020, a US federal court ruled that the mass surveillance program exposed by Snowden was illegal and possibly unconstitutional. This ruling vindicated Snowden's decision to go public with the information, showing that he had acted in the public interest.

While Snowden's actions may have caused harm to national security, they also brought about significant benefits. They prompted much-needed discussions about the government's powers and the importance of privacy in a democracy. Snowden's revelations were not an attack on America but a call for greater accountability and protection of civil liberties.

Frequently asked questions