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| Edward Snowden an Introduction... The individual responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history, a former computer intelligence consultant who leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013, for ethical reasons. Snowden was one of America's most consequential whistleblowers, and he is responsible for handing over material from one of the world's most secretive organisations in America. His disclosures revealed numerous global surveillance programs, many run by the NSA with the cooperation of telecommunication companies and European governments and prompted a cultural discussion about national security and individual privacy. With a salary of over $200,000, a girlfriend with whom he shared a Hawaii home, a secure job, and family, he led a pretty affluent existence. He once stated "I'm willing to sacrifice all of that 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." His first position was as a security guard at one of the NSA's covert facilities at the University of Maryland, where he obtained his first position within an NSA facility. After that, he went to the CIA to work in IT security. He rose rather swiftly for someone without even a high school diploma because of his knowledge of the internet and his aptitude for computer programming. He started seriously doubting the validity of what he observed as a result of this access and the nearly three years he spent in the company of CIA agents. He resigned from the CIA in order to accept his first position working for a private contractor who stationed him at an operational NSA installation on a military base in Japan. He discovered during the following three years how pervasive the NSA's surveillance efforts were, later claiming "they are intent on making every conversation and every form of behaviour in the world known to them". Thinking that the constant surveillance was quickly destroying the value of the internet and fundamental privacy. Stating at the time "I don't want to live in a world where there's no privacy and therefore no room for intellectual exploration and creativity.” At that point, he came to the opinion that the NSA's surveillance network would soon become irrevocable and that the actions they are taking will eventually pose an existential threat to democracy. Some time after the disclosures, Snowden landed in Russia where he was granted asylum. Edward Snowden Speaking on National Security Edward Snowden Speaking about NSA Surveilance |
