Edward Snowden

BLOG ENTRY: Watch Citizenfour and write a blog entry where you address the following questions:

1) Describe and discuss three facts you discovered while watching the documentary Edward Snowden/Wikileaks revelations. 

• I might not have been coherent at the time that this all went down, but I really had no understanding of Edward Snowden before this. I knew he had done something monumental but I didn’t understand what exactly was truly happening. I think all of this was pretty hard to digest, but luckily there are people like Snowden to come out and show corruption. I do not believe he did anything wrong. I think clearly the US citizens had no real understanding of what was happening under their noses, and if someone as smart as Edward understood how wrong it is, then it needed to come to light. How can we have a democracy without those who questions its practices? Where is freedom of information? Contrary to Obama, I think Snowden is a Patriot. He wanted the public to understand our democracy, which we clearly DID NOT.  And yes NSA, I know you’re likely reading this. 

• I feel that the government's response to Snowden's actions shows direct implications of being guilty, and I feel that democracy or especially “private” lives, are no longer real. Why does the government need data on its public? Why would gathering and interpreting be appropriate.  If this was not such a big deal, why was the government so quick to jump on legal action. Though I guess that makes sense, I believe the government has overstepped their bounds by listening and gathering this kind of metadata on people. I think this is especially important right now with protests happening. By understanding who and why people are protesting, this gives the government the opportunity to harm or end protestors, organizers, etc or even the right to protest or have free speech.

• There is absolutely no way Snowden could ever have a fair trial. Its like having two people against one another, but one of them makes the rules entirely for the game itself.

• Edward Snowden had to abandon his notion- or rather Americans notion of a “normal life” in order to be a whistleblower, in order to share public information, to make an aware public. I had to look at my own understanding of what I thought others might want out of life, and realize that Snowden intentionally and purposely changed his life to better the public of the United States. Snowden and everyone attached to him will never have a normal life.  If that is not a patriot, if that is not selfless and serving our country to show corruption, I do not know what would be. 

• I also believe that if it is not for people like Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill, there would never be opportunity for this knowledge to be known. I believe that these people are equally selfless in finding and showing the truth. That is what journalism is based off of and how journalism should be used.  

2) How has the film changed your thinking about your own activities while online?

 

As someone who grew during this major age of technology, I think I always knew that there was this balancing act of technology and the power it truly wields. I remember sitting in the car with my mom in 2007 and she said to me “I read an article that by 2010 every single person will have a phone” and I thought to myself how wonderful and astounding that was. But as I have grown, I have realized that my generation does not really grasp the depth in which we hold that power in our hands. To own devices, to be heavily marketed devices, to base relationships around social media, there could have never been privacy. And I think I always kind of knew that in the back of my mind. I knew the adage “what you put on the internet stays there forever”, and I guess the new adage is “beware, they see. They see everything.” So I kind of feel that maybe this might force me to step away from tech, and actually consider what I put online. At the same time I know that so much technology has been pushed into the hands of children, so it's likely too far gone for me, or anyone my age to have anonymity. I think I, as well as many others my age, were surrounded by this ideal that devices are safe, they are ours, they cannot betray us. But that is naive and ridiculous. I’d like to say this will dramatically change my activities online, but I feel I am likely too far underwater. And I believe many people are too.

 

3) What is your general response to the film?

Well I am very happy that I got exposed to this film, and now have a better understanding of what Edward's mission was when he did leak so much classified information. I think he is someone who so clearly cares about the american public. I am interested to learn more about him and just purchased his book so hopefully I can learn even more about this person. I think Laura Poitras is yet again, someone who clearly cares for the american public and wants to show what we do not understand. I feel that after this astounding look into the truth of our National Security, there is no longer a want for “security” but rather information gathering. As Glenn said it best; “dictatorships thrive on amassed amounts of information on their public”, so it seems there is really no longer personal anonymity. And I am left with the question; “what happens now”? Will the public be better about keeping agencies in check as they gather our info? What does this mean for the future?