Edward Snowden: Traitor or Hero?

Edward Snowden. Some say he is a traitor; some say he is a national hero. But what is he really? Let's start with some facts. Edward Snowden has claimed to have taken a job at Booz Allen Hamilton, a major intelligence contractor for the US government, to gain access to classified NSA (National Security Agency) documents. He used his position to leak thousands of these classified documents from the NSA. The documents revealed that the US government has been spying on millions of citizens without a warrant. His US passport was revoked and in 2022 he gained citizenship in Russia, where he has lived since 2013. 

But what do I think Edward Snowden is? I believe that he is a whistleblower that has helped this country much more than he harmed it. For instance, the editorial board of the New York Times has referred to him as a whistleblower. The article goes on to state: “Considering the enormous value of the information he has revealed, and the abuses he has exposed, Mr. Snowden deserves better than a life of permanent exile, fear and flight. He may have committed a crime to do so, but he has done his country a great service.” 

Another reason is that the government programs that he leaked were, in fact, unconstitutional as they violated the fourth amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects people from search without a warrant. It was perfectly justified for Snowden to inform the public about illegal governmental measures that were being taken; the general populace deserves to know about unconstitutional acts from those who are meant to defend it.

So, in summary, Edward Snowden is a whistleblower that leaked many classified but illegal government programs to the press. These documents contained information about many of the government's unconstitutional mass surveillance programs. Though his actions are widely debated, at the end of the day, Edward Snowden brought attention to unlawful actions being carried out by those sworn to uphold those very laws.