Discussion: Has Edward Snowden done the public a favour?

Edward Snowden’s decision of exposing the Government’s secrets can be seen as rash and reckless. However, he gave some arguments for his decision:

He stated that the population was the subject of excessive monitoring that disrespected citizens’ right to privacy. His desire was to reveal to the public some of the unconstitutional practices of the Government and the way the average citizen is affected by them without knowing. 

He underlines how he personally did not want to either work for or live in a country where this kind of disrespectful surveillance is accepted. 

The article “In NSA leaks, Edward Snowden performed a service”, the author Eugene Robinson tries to explain the fact that the public should be grateful for Snowden’s intervention:

Robinson believes that the public is finally able to grasp the amount of monitoring controlled by the Government and its effects on the people, which is why he finds Snowden’s action beneficial for the population. 

Questions to consider

In this section of the study guide, we will present some questions ...