There’s been quite a lot of talk in the news recently about an American bloke called Edward Snowden. We want to know who he is, why he’s in the news and why some are calling him a ‘hero’.
Edward Snowden, 29, was born in North Carolina back in 1983. He enlisted in the US Army in 2004 with the hopes of joining the Special Forces, but after just four months in the Army he both his legs in a training accident and was discharged.
After this he worked for the CIA for a few years, but earlier this year he started working for a consulting firm called Booz Allen Hamilton who were advising the National Security Agency (NSA). While working for Booz Allen Hamilton, Snowden lived in Hawaii with his ballerina girlfriend, Lindsay Mills (pictured below).
It’s all well and good knowing who he is, but Snowden in the news for what he did. While working for Booz Allen Hamilton (who were working on behalf of the NSA), Snowden managed to obtain ‘top secret’ information on an NSA surveillance programme called PRISM.
PRISIM is a computer system that can basically access all forms of communications from one person to another. Be it email, phone calls, video footage or just photos, PRISM could access the information whenever, wherever. While the system was designed to keep tabs on people outside the US, it was revealed that the NSA and PRISM were able and willing to obtain communications made within the US by US citizens. Having said that, the NSA weren’t exactly keeping tabs on people’s everyday conversations, because they have better things to do, but the fact is that they are able to spy on pretty much anyone.
Only a handful of people within the US government knew about the full extent of PRISM and it’s total lack of regard for people’s privacy, so Snowden packed up as much information as he could, sold his house in Hawaii and hopped on a plane to Hong Kong. That’s when he met up with reporters from The Guardian and told them all about PRISM and everything else the NSA didn’t want people knowing.
Many are now calling Snowden a traitor for leaking the information saying he’s placing top secret US information into the hands of the terrorists, while others are calling him a hero for exposing just how close the US government can get to its citizens online communications. There have been a rake of meme’s cropping up over the past week regarding Snowden and the NSA, but we think this image sums things up nicely…
As we said, Snowden is currently hiding out in a safe house in Hong Kong, but he’s only in Hong Kong as he feels their judiciary system would judge him fairly. Speaking to The Guardian, Snowden said: “People who think I made a mistake in picking Hong Kong as a location misunderstand my intentions. I am not here to hide from justice. I am here to reveal criminality.”
He added: “My intention is to ask the courts and people of Hong Kong to decide my fate. I have been given no reason to doubt your system.”
Here’s the video showing the first time Snowden revealed his identity. It’s a bit long, but it’s a good watch. Bookmark it for your lunchtime viewing.
