最佳答案Snowden:BehindtheSecretsofGovernmentSurveillanceEdwardSnowden,aformerNationalSecurityAgency(NSA)contractor,shockedtheworldin2013byrevealingtheextentofU.S.govern...
Snowden:BehindtheSecretsofGovernmentSurveillance
EdwardSnowden,aformerNationalSecurityAgency(NSA)contractor,shockedtheworldin2013byrevealingtheextentofU.S.governmentsurveillance.Tomany,heisaherowhoexposedillegalandunconstitutionalpractices.Toothers,heisatraitorwhoendangerednationalsecurity.Regardlessofone'sperspective,Snowden'sactionsandtheiraftermathhaveprofoundimplicationsforprivacy,freedomofspeech,anddemocracy.
TheSnowdenRevelations
InJune2013,Snowdenleakedthousandsofclassifieddocumentstojournalists,includingGlennGreenwald,LauraPoitras,andBartonGellman.ThesedocumentsdetailedthesurveillanceprogramsoftheNSA,theCIA,andtheirinternationalpartners,suchastheFiveEyesalliance.Amongtherevelationswere:
- PRISM,aprogramthatallowstheNSAtocollectInternetcommunicationsfrommajortechcompanies,suchasGoogle,Facebook,andApple;
- XKeyscore,aprogramthatenablestheNSAtosearchandanalyzevastamountsofInternetdata,includingemails,chats,andbrowsinghistory;
- BoundlessInformant,aprogramthatvisualizestheNSA'sglobalmetadatacollection,showingthatbillionsofrecordsarecollectedeverydayandthattheU.S.targetsnotonlyterroristsbutalsoallies,suchasGermanyandBrazil;
- MUSCULAR,aprogramthattapsintoGoogleandYahoo'sdatacentersoverseas,allowingtheNSAtointerceptdatathatisnotcoveredbyU.S.law;
- PRISMforGCHQ,aprogramthatallowstheBritishintelligenceagencytoaccesstheGCHQ,thelargestintelligenceagencyintheworld,whichislocatedinCheltenham,England.
TheImpactofSnowden'sRevelations
TheSnowdenrevelationstriggeredaglobaldebateaboutthebalancebetweenprivacyandsecurity.Theyexposedtheextenttowhichgovernmentscanviolatethehumanrightsoftheircitizensandforeignnationals,withoutdueprocess,oversight,ortransparency.TheyunderminedthecredibilityofU.S.globalleadershipandthetrustofU.S.allies.Theyledtolegalchallenges,reforms,anddiplomatictensionsinmanycountries.
Ontheonehand,theSnowdenrevelationspromptedsomepeopletorecognizethedangersofmasssurveillanceandtodemandgreateraccountability,safeguards,anddemocraticcontrol.Theyinspiredanewgenerationofwhistleblowers,journalists,andactiviststoexposeandresistabusesofpower.Theyinfluencedthepublicopinion,themediacoverage,andthepoliticaldiscourseonsurveillance,privacy,anddemocracy.Theycontributedtotheadoptionofnewlaws,rulings,andpoliciesthatlimitorconstraingovernmentsurveillance,suchas:
- TheUSAFreedomAct,whichendedthebulkcollectionofAmericans'recordsunderSection215ofthePatriotActbutalsoexpandedsomesurveillancepowers;
- TheEuropeanUnion'sGeneralDataProtectionRegulation(GDPR),whichstrengthenedtheprivacyrightsofEUcitizensandimposedfinesoncompaniesthatviolatethem;
- TheUN'sHumanRightsCouncilresolutionontherighttoprivacyinthedigitalage,whichaffirmedthattherighttoprivacyisafundamentalhumanrightandthatsurveillancecanonlybejustifiedincertaincircumstances;
- TheU.S.federalcourtrulingsthatfoundtheNSA'ssurveillanceprogramsunconstitutional,suchastheSecondCircuit'srulingthatheldthatthemetadatacollectionexceededtheauthorityofSection215ofthePatriotActandwasnotnecessarytopreventterroristattacks.
Ontheotherhand,theSnowdenrevelationsalsohadnegativeconsequencesforSnowdenhimselfandforthepeopleinvolvedinhisdisclosures.Snowdenwaschargedwithespionageandtheftofgovernmentproperty,andhehadtofleetoRussiatoavoidextradition.HemayfacelifeimprisonmentoreventhedeathpenaltyifhereturnstotheU.S.Someofthejournalistswhoreportedonhisleaksfacedharassment,surveillance,andprosecution.Thesourceswhoprovidedhimwiththedocuments,suchasChelseaManningandRealityWinner,werealsopunishedwithseveresentences.Somegovernmentsreactedtotherevelationsbycrackingdownonthepress,thecivilsociety,andthedissent,aswellasbyreinforcingtheirownsurveillancecapabilities.
TheLegacyofSnowden'sRevelations
ThelegacyofSnowden'srevelationsisstillunfolding.Itraisesmanyquestionsabouttheroleofsecrecy,transparency,andaccountabilityinmoderndemocracies.Itchallengestheassumptionsthatunderpintheintelligencecommunity'spractices,suchasthenotionthatthecollectionofvastamountsofdataisnecessarytopreventterroristattacksorthattheU.S.isadefenderofhumanrightsanddemocracy.Itexposesthetensionsbetweennationalsecurityandhumanrights,betweengovernmentpowerandindividualfreedom,betweentechnologicalprogressandsocialjustice.
PerhapsthemostimportantlessonofSnowden'srevelationsisthatknowledgeispower,andpowercorrupts.Thegovernment'sabilitytocollect,store,andanalyzedataonamassivescaleposesathreattodemocracy,privacy,anddignity.Itcanbeabusedbythosewhohaveaccesstoit,anditcanbeusedtosuppressdissent,totargetvulnerablegroups,andtounderminedemocraticinstitutions.Thechallengeforus,ascitizens,istounderstandthescopeandtheimplicationsofgovernmentsurveillance,toengageininformeddebatesaboutitslegalityandmorality,andtodemandthatourrightsandvaluesarerespectedandprotected.Snowden'srevelationshaveopenedawindowintothedarksideofgovernmentsurveillance,anditisuptoustodecidehowtorespondtothisnewreality.
