Covert Codes and Betrayal - The Decisions of NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden (2013)

Covert Codes and Betrayal - The Decisions of NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden (2013)

In 2013, former NSA contract employee Edward Snowden exposed to the world the reality of state-sponsored mass surveillance. In programs such as "PRISM," he revealed, the U.S. government, with the help of companies such as Google and Facebook, collected massive amounts of personal information, including call logs, emails, and search history. In the background is the trend of "security first" after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Under the Patriot Act, surveillance was accelerated and civil liberties were relegated to the background. Snowden contacted reporters in Hong Kong and defected to Russia. Although considered a traitor by the U.S. government, he was hailed as a hero among citizens. He stated, "I gave back to the people their right to know," and challenged society on the conflict between technological progress and ethics. This is a symbolic case that stands at the crossroads of democracy and the surveillance society.