Edward Snowden: There is no Online Privacy in this Technological Era

935 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Internet and privacy

The issue on privacy is extremely controversial in today’s world. As the United States’ use of the internet, a global web of interconnected computer networks, expands, so does its problem with privacy invasion. With the U.S. pushing for new laws governing internet use, citizens are finding their privacy being pulled right from underneath them. Web users are buying and selling personal information online as well as hacking users for more information. One may argue that there is no such thing as privacy on the internet, but privacy is a right among Americans, and should be treated as such.
The National Security Agency is a government run service. It is responsible for the international surveillance, deciphering, collection, analysis, and translation of information and data for foreign intelligence and counterintelligence purposes. This agency has recently had their whistle blown by Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee. Snowden released files on operations such as PRISM, a program that gives access to servers frequented by many Americans. This encroachment shocked the nation.
PRISM provides admittance to the servers of websites such as Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube, Skype, Yahoo, Apple, and other companies. Private messages sent between users are made readily available. Computer histories and cookies are also recorded. An article published by International Business Times, spoke about cookies and the NSA's use of them. Cookies collect data, and can identify a person’s unique browser (Snowden Leaks). With this information, the NSA can hack computers using special software. “The first ruling against the NSA's surveillance program was handed down in December by Judge Richard Leon of Federal District Court for the District of Columb...

... middle of paper ...

...he ever expanding internet is safe or private. However, there are ways for one to protect themselves, and create a blanket of privacy while using the internet in this new technological era.

Works Cited

Angwin, Julia. “Privacy Tools: Opting Out from Data Brokers.” Propublica. 30 Jan. 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
Erickson, Jo. "Hacker Statistics for 2013: Daily Hacking Occurrences with Major Infrastructures Vulnerable." YourSEOToday. YourSEOToday, 8 Nov. 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
International Business, Times. "Snowden Leaks: NSA Storing Internet Cookies, Location Data for Spying." International Business Times 16 Feb. 2014: Regional Business News. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
Rowen, Beth. "The NSA, Edward Snowden, and Surveillance." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
"Ten Scariest Hacking Statistics." Stop the Hacker. Stop the Hacker, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • The Pros And Cons Of The National Security Agency

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    The National Security Agency or NSA for short is a United States federal government intelligence organization that is used for global monitoring and collecting data. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush implemented the NSA’s domestic spying program to conduct a range of surveillance activities inside the United States. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this program as it allows the NSA to tap into the public’s phone calls, cameras, internet searches, text messages, and many other mediums to seek out individuals that may be potential threats to the security of the general public. Many individuals say that the tactics used by the NSA are unconstitutional as they invade people’s privacy. This is primarily

    Read More

  • National Security Agency

    583 Words  | 2 Pages

    The National Security Agency/Central Security Service (NSA/CSS) was established in November 1952 to provide a cryptologic organization for the civilian and military leaders of the United States and to provide them with timely information. The National Security Agency (NSA) coordinates, directs, and performs highly specialized activities to produce foreign intelligence information and protect United States information systems through two main missions, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Information Assurance (IA). The Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) mission uses cryptologic machines to break foreign codes to find out what they know and what they are doing. The biggest accomplishment publicly known was when they broke the Japanese military code in World War II and learned that Japan had plans of invading Midway Island. This allowed us to attack and destroy Japan’s superior fleet. With this intelligence, it was said to have shortened the Pacific war by over one year.

    Read More

  • The NSA, Privacy and the War or Terrorism

    1550 Words  | 4 Pages

    The people’s apprehensiveness does not come from the government’s ability to monitor their phone calls. It is the idea that they are listening to their individual conversations. The government needs to communicate to its citizens on the capabilities of the program. Most of the information on the limits of PRISM has come from the data leaks of Edward Snowden. The common consensus is that the government is able to access information by merely advising a meeting with a judge that is not withheld to the public. However, contrary to the popular belief that they are listening to phone calls, they are merely collecting the date and length of each phone call (Stray).

    Read More

  • Snowden's Revelations: ECPA & USA Freedom Acts

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    Snowden's leaks provided the people with important information proving The NSA was and still is collecting and storing massive amounts of data on billions of innocent U.S Citizens without warrants or probable cause to help keep the people safe from foreign and domestic enemies. It is believed to be one of the biggest leaks in history of government information. Most societies already lives in constant surveillance outside of their homes. There are cameras watching people most everywhere they go. Schools, shopping malls, and the streets they walk and drive on. In a technological age while living in surveillance, getting any kind of privacy is difficult for a citizen. Privacy is what a person does while thinking that no other person but them is watching or listening, but a moment believed as private is known as an illusion. In the United States, privacy and freedom is a huge part of the people's rights being that the United States is based on Democracy which is liberty, equality and justice for all. Being monitored without knowledge to this extent leaves privacy and freedom in the dust. “In a democracy, the people are sovereign—they are the highest form of political authority” (Diamond, 2004)

    Read More

  • Edward Snowden and Classified Files

    1837 Words  | 4 Pages

    Edward Snowden was an American computer specialist that worked for the CIA and as a contractor for the NSA. He disclosed classified files over several media sources, that were evidence that the NSA was collecting data from the phone calls and internet activities of most Americans. Snowden thought that by revealing these secret government activities that Americans would realized that their privacy is being invaded and that they need to do something about it.

    Read More

  • Edward Snowden: A Traitor Of Edward Snowden

    1506 Words  | 4 Pages

    In May of 2013 Edward Snowden who was then working at a National Security Agency office in Oahu, Hawaii began copying top secret documents that belonged to the American government as he believed the documentation contained unethical and immoral content that he believed the American people and the world in general needed to know about. (Snowden, 2014) The documentation that he collated contained information regarding projects such as Prism, which is a top secret NSA surveillance program that has the ability to access the data servers of some of America's large...

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Censorship In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    The NSA helps to supply the military with weapons and supplies. The NSA also helps protect citizens by providing high tech security. Some of which are approving standards, techniques, systems, and equipment related to the security of National Security Systems (NSA.gov). In addition, the NSA also provides “end-to-end insights into malicious cyber activity, the activities of hostile foreign powers, and cyber best practices” (NSA.gov). Another thing the NSA does is partner with other departments, countries, and companies to help reach goals and provide a good outcome in any circumstance (NSA.gov). Terrorism and cyber threats are big problems towards the United States as well. When the NSA hears or reports any terrorism threats they communicate with national leaders, military, law enforcement and policymakers to discuss solutions. There always is a group of National Security Act workers monitoring surveillance twenty- four seven(NSA.gov).This always ensures extra protection and is always

    Read More

  • National Security Agency's Prism Program

    2540 Words  | 6 Pages

    In the past few years the National Security Agency has been all over the news, and not in a good way. Former contractor of the National Security Edward Snowden leaked classified documents to several media outlets on such a scale the world took notice. The day the world learned about the Prism program among others was June, 5, 2013 when Ed Snowden gave the specifics of the programs to The Guardian, and the Washington Post. Ed Snowden turned those secrets over as a member of the NSA but fled the country before the leaks so he would not be imprisoned by the authorities. Immediately after the leaks Ed Snowden became infamous with around the clock watch as to what country would grant his asylum, he currently resides in a Moscow airport pending appeal (Staff, 2013). He claimed he “did not want to live in a society like this” that’s why he decided to turn over states secret for all the world to see (Staff, 2013). Now that you know the man behind the leaks it is time that you find out about the program, and the reach and impact it really had.

    Read More

  • Online Data Tracking: An Invasion of Privacy?

    1364 Words  | 3 Pages

    The personal connection Americans have with their phones, tablets, and computers; and the rising popularity of online shopping and social websites due to the massive influence the social media has on Americans, it is clear why this generation is called the Information Age, also known as Digital Age. With the Internet being a huge part of our lives, more and more personal data is being made available, because of our ever-increasing dependence and use of the Internet on our phones, tablets, and computers. Some corporations such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook; governments, and other third parties have been tracking our internet use and acquiring data in order to provide personalized services and advertisements for consumers. Many American such as Nicholas Carr who wrote the article “Tracking Is an Assault on Liberty, With Real Dangers,” Anil Dagar who wrote the article “Internet, Economy and Privacy,” and Grace Nasri who wrote the article “Why Consumers are Increasingly Willing to Trade Data for Personalization,” believe that the continuing loss of personal privacy may lead us as a society to devalue the concept of privacy and see privacy as outdated and unimportant. Privacy is dead and corporations, governments, and third parties murdered it for their personal gain not for the interest of the public as they claim. There are more disadvantages than advantages on letting corporations, governments, and third parties track and acquire data to personalized services and advertisements for us.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Internet Tracking

    1561 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Human beings are not meant to lose their anonymity and privacy,” Sarah Chalke. When using the web, web users’ information tend to be easily accessible to government officials or hackers. In Nicholas Carr’s “Tracking Is an Assault on Liberty,” Jim Harpers’ “Web Users Get As Much As They Give,” and Lori Andrews “Facebook is Using You” the topic of internet tracking stirred up many mixed views; however, some form of compromise can be reached on this issue, laws that enforces companies to inform the public on what personal information is being taken, creating advisements on social media about how web users can be more cautious to what kind of information they give out online, enabling your privacy settings and programs, eliminating weblining,

    Read More

  • The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

    2043 Words  | 5 Pages

    MacAskill, G. G. (2014, April 28). NSA Prism program taps in to user data of Apple, Google and others. Retrieved from The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data?guni=Network%20front:network-front%20main-2%20Special%20trail:Network%20front%20-%20special%20trail:Position1

    Read More

  • Internet Privacy: Edward Snowden

    1686 Words  | 4 Pages

    The government gives each American citizen a set of unalienable rights that protect them from the government’s power. These rights cannot be broken, yet the government violates the Fourth Amendment daily to find ways to spy on the American public under the guise of protecting against terrorism. In 2007 President Obama said the American administration “acts like violating civil liberties is the way to enhance our securities – it is not.” Americans need to understand that their privacy is worth the fight. The people need to tell their neighbors, their congressmen, and their senators that they will not allow their internet privacy to be violated by needless spying. American citizens deserve the rights given to them and need to fight for the right to keep them by changing privacy laws to include Internet privacy.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issue In Information Systems

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the internet was considered a global information system in 1995 millions of Americans participated in virtual communication. People began to communicate with each other and personal information began to be placed online by the stroke of the fingertips to their own computer. So the question is the privacy of individuals trusted online? Can people snoop around and see personal information? Of course people can if guidelines are not set in place to protect them. Public and private information can be complex when some individual(s) do not expect their communication to be read outside of their online community. What will be discussed are some ethical responsibilities that need to take place in the United States. Respecting the individual privacy and honor confidentiality is a must in this country.

    Read More

  • Lack of Internet Security and Privacy

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    A major reason the U.S. needs to increase restrictions on the type and amount of data collected on individuals from the internet is due to the fact that the United States government can track communications and browsing histories of private citizens without warrant or cause. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, ...

    Read More

  • Gmail from Google and its Potential Ramifications

    2073 Words  | 5 Pages

    Internet technology is accelerating the rate of globalization. Email, in particular, is now one of the fastest ways for us to communicate with each other, and to do business, making our world much smaller and more immediate. This same technology that can enhance our lives and accelerates the pace of global change can also destroy our personal privacy at the same rate.

    Read More

More about Edward Snowden: There is no Online Privacy in this Technological Era

Open Document