Any American who has read 1984 by George Orwell probably has found solace or joy in the fact that we do not live under a system of total government supervision and control. In 1984, “Freedom is war” and the government security agency “Big Brother” watches everyone’s every move. Nothing is private. But fearing this level of government control is not too far fetched for nations today.
In 2013 a contractor for the NSA (National Security Agency) risked his life to leak government data. The data showed the world that the NSA has been constantly tracking civilians through their phones and other devices, not just potential terrorists. “Bathtub falls and police officers kill more Americans than terrorism, yet we’ve been asked to sacrifice our most sacred rights for fear of falling victim to it. “ Just a thought from Edward Snowden, the contractor who leaked the data. Whether you think people should be tracked constantly by the government, in their homes and most private moments it’s not only inhumane but it is unjustified that our own government lied on several accounts when asked if they were tracking Americans.
We also partner with Britain to spy on world leaders all over the world and collect data on various countries even allies, the “Xkeyscore” program records everything typed on the internet, and at any moment the NSA can intercept any phone call on the planet. Let me paint the picture in better depth for you: we are ALL being tracked. Our texts are stored, our cameras on any device can be watched at any moment. At any moment someone could be watching what you are watching. Even if you have nothing to hide, privacy is included in our constitution and once we fail our constitution we fail ourselves.
Edward Snowden has risked his life and is now hiding from persecution in Russia. If he comes back to America he will be convicted under the Espionage act, for his act of civil disobedience. He did this so we could decide if what the government is doing was right. “It may be that by watching everywhere we go, by watching everything we do, by analyzing every word we say, by waiting and passing judgment over every association we make and every person we love, that we could uncover a terrorist plot, or we could discover more criminals. But is that the kind of society we want to live in?”-Edward Snowden.
But how can we as a nation make this decision when we are not properly educated on the issue? When I went to go see the movie Snowden, which tells the story of how this all happened, there were about eight people in the theater. It’s ironic that in an age where Americans have proven an obsession with fictional negative utopias with government control and brainwashing yet they ignore the real one they are living in. I understand everyone may not be able to afford to go see the movie so here is the link to a biography on Edward Snowden. Since the leaks, the government has branded such behavior as illegal and claims to have stopped Big Brother– I mean the NSA– from tracking Americans. But why would anyone believe a government that has LIED to its people? Go see the Snowden movie, do your research, and form your own opinion because we are constantly being tracked and lied too. Big brother is real, big brother is watching, and we need to start watching him.
