Edward Snowden: Patriot or Traitor?
I have tried to do more research, talk to people who's opinions I respect, procrastinate to give myself more time to turn this question over in my mind, and I draw the same conclusion I drew a few years ago:
I think Edward Snowden is both a traitor and a patriot.
Backstory:
Having spent 1/3 of my life with someone who was in the military, I have always been pretty paranoid about what information was collected online. I didn't really become active on Facebook until after my divorce, 3 years ago, because the fact everything I put on there is saved forever. And that terrifies me.
We would put gold-foil star stickers over the webcams on our computers and have a schedule set up for when we would change our online passwords.
So, when Snowden did his thing, it didn't seem like such a big deal. We were pretty sure our info was being gathered to some degree. In fact, my friends and I joked that the NSA was probably having a great time seeing all of the lame stuff we would pin on Pinterest.
I think he is a patriot, because he wants accountability from the government violating the fourth amendment.
I think he is a traitor because he broke his oath and potentially put lives in danger.
I am willing to give up certain privacy rights to help keep my country safe. I get really upset, though, when I think about the privacy violations that include the ability to turn my phone's camera or microphone on at will, when I have given no indication that I am threat to security.
And this Wired article is a pretty fascinating read about Snowden that includes personal details.
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