Readings

The readings for this week focus on Edward Snowden and Government Surveillance:

Edward Snowden

These articles explain Edward Snowden's story:

  1. Edward Snowden: Leaks that exposed US spy programme

These article discuss the impact of Edward Snowden's revelations:

  1. Edward Snowden's impact

These articles consider where or not Edward Snowden should be pardoned:

  1. Edward Snowden makes 'moral' case for presidential pardon

Government Surveillance

These articles discuss the government's interest in government surveillance:

  1. Going Dark: Encryption, Technology, and the Balances Between Public Safety

These articles discuss the Apple vs FBI case:

  1. A Message to Our Customers

These articles discuss how government surveillance has grown:

  1. American Spies: how we got to mass surveillance without even trying

These articles discuss how technology companies are reacting to government surveillance:

  1. Tech Companies Fight Back After Years of Being Deluged With Secret FBI Requests

Food for Thought

Questions

Please write a response to one of the following questions:

  1. From the readings and in your opinion, is Edward Snowden a hero or a traitor? Should the US government pardon him for any possible crimes or should they pursue extradition and prosecution for treason?

    • What exactly did he leak and how did he expose that information?

    • Regardless of the legality of his actions, is what he did ethical and moral?

    • Utimately, is what Snowden did beneficial to the public or did he harm the security of the United States and its allies? Personally, how have these revelations impacted you (or not) and your views on government, national security, encryption, and technology in general?

  2. From the readings and in your opinion, should technology companies purposely weaken encryption or implement backdoors in their products for the the purposes of government surveillance? Are companies like Apple ethically responsible for protecting the privacy of their users or are they ethically responsible for helping to prevent violent or harmful activities that their platforms may enable? How are these two conflicting goals to be balanced in a world of free-flowing communication and extreme terrorism?

    • If you are supportive of government surveillance, how do you response to concerns of privacy and intrusion? Are worries about Big Brother simply paranoia? When and why does national security trump individual privacy?

    • If you are against government backdoors or surveillance, how do you respond to the concerns regarding national security? Isn't saving lives or protecting our nation worth a little less individual privacy. How do you counter the argument: If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear?

Feedback

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the course, please provide your feedback at the end of your response.