Edward
Snowden:
Traitor
or
Hero?
In
2013,
computer
expert
and
former
CIA
systems
administrator,
Edward
Snowden
released
confidential
government
documents
to
the
press
about
the
existence
of
government
surveillance
programs.
According
to
many
legal
experts,
and
the
U.S.
government,
his
actions
violated
the
Espionage
Act
of
1917,
which
identified
the
leak
of
state
secrets
as
an
act
of
treason.
Yet
despite
the
fact
that
he
broke
the
law,
Snowden
argued
that
he
had
a
moral
obligation
to
act.
He
gave
a
justification
for
his
“whistleblowing”
by
stating
that
he
had
a
duty
“to
inform
the
public
as
to
that
which
is
done
in
their
name
and
that
which
is
done
against
them.”
According
to
Snowden,
the
government’s
violation
of
privacy
had
to
be
exposed
regardless
of
legality.
Many
agreed
with
Snowden.
Jesselyn
Radack
of
the
Government
Accountability
Project
defended
his
actions
as
ethical,
arguing
that
he
acted
from
a
sense
of
public
good.
Radack
said,
“Snowden
may
have
violated
a
secrecy
agreement,
which
is
not
a
loyalty
oath
but
a
contract,
and
a
less
important
one
than
the
social
contract
a
democracy
has
with
its
citizenry.”
Others
argued
that
even
if
he
was
legally
culpable,
he
was
not
ethically
culpable
because
the
law
itself
was
unjust
and
unconstitutional.
The
Attorney
General
of
the
United
States,
Eric
Holder,
did
not
find
Snowden’s
rationale
convincing.
Holder
stated,
“He
broke
the
law.
He
caused
harm
to
our
national
security
and
I
think
that
he
has
to
be
held
accountable
for
his
actions.”
Journalists
were
conflicted
about
the
ethical
implications
of
Snowden’s
actions.
The
editorial
board
of
The
New
York
Times
stated,
“He
may
have
committed
a
crime…but
he
has
done
his
country
a
great
service.”
In
an
Op-‐ed
in
the
same
newspaper,
Ed
Morrissey
argued
that
Snowden
was
not
a
hero,
but
a
criminal:
“by
leaking
information
about
the
behavior
rather
than
reporting
it
through
legal
channels,
Snowden
chose
to
break
the
law.”
According
to
Morrissey,
Snowden
should
be
prosecuted
for
his
actions,
arguing
that
his
actions
broke
a
law
“intended
to
keep
legitimate
national-‐
security
data
and
assets
safe
from
our
enemies;
it
is
intended
to
keep
Americans
safe.”
Case
Study
–
Edward
Snowden:
Traitor
or
Hero?
-‐
Page
1
of
2
Discussion
Questions:
1. What
values
are
in
conflict
in
this
case?
What
harm
did
Snowden
cause?
What
benefits
did
his
actions
bring?
2. Do
you
agree
that
Snowden’s
actions
were
ethically
justified
even
if
legally
prohibited?
Why
or
why
not?
Make
an
argument
by
weighing
the
competing
values
in
this
case.
3. If
you
were
in
Snowden’s
position,
what
would
you
have
done
and
why?
4. Would
you
change
your
position
if
you
knew
that
Snowden’s
leak
would
lead
to
a
loss
of
life
among
CIA
operatives?
What
about
if
it
would
save
lives?
5. Is
there
a
circumstance
in
which
you
think
whistleblowing
would
be
ethically
ideal?
How
about
ethically
prohibited?
Resources:
Whistle-‐Blowers
Deserve
Protection
Not
Prison
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/06/11/in-‐nsa-‐leak-‐case-‐a-‐whistle-‐blower-‐or-‐a-‐
criminal/whistle-‐blowers-‐deserve-‐protection-‐not-‐prison
Eric
Holder:
If
Edward
Snowden
were
open
to
plea,
we’d
talk
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/eric-‐holder-‐edward-‐snowden-‐plea-‐102530.html
Edward
Snowden:
Whistleblower
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/02/opinion/edward-‐snowden-‐whistle-‐blower.html?_r=0
Edward
Snowden
Broke
the
Law
and
should
be
Prosecuted
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/06/11/in-‐nsa-‐leak-‐case-‐a-‐whistle-‐blower-‐or-‐a-‐
criminal/edward-‐snowden-‐broke-‐the-‐law-‐and-‐should-‐be-‐prosecuted
Author:
Andrew
Carlson,
Ph.D.,
M.F.A.
Department
of
Theatre
&
Dance
College
of
Fine
Arts
The
University
of
Texas
at
Austin
Case
Study
–
Edward
Snowden:
Traitor
or
Hero?
-‐
Page
2
of
2
