POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES College of Engineering Computer Engineering Department NDC Campus Sta! "esa "anila Tel!

No! #$%&'(&)*

Written Report In Ethics Snowden Case

Submitted to: Engr. Norman David delos Reyes Submitted by: anatad! "oel S. #sCoE $%$

Introduction Born in North Carolina in 1983, Edward Snowden worked for the National Security Agency through su contractor Boo! Allen in the NSA"s #ahu office$ After only three %onths, Snowden egan collecting to&' secret docu%ents regarding NSA do%estic sur(eillance &ractices, which he found distur ing$ After Snowden fled to )ong *ong, China, news&a&ers egan &rinting the docu%ents that he had leaked to the%, %any of the% detailing in(asi(e s&ying &ractices against A%erican citi!ens$ +ith the ,$S$ charging Snowden under the Es&ionage Act ut %any grou&s calling hi% a hero, Snowden re%ains in -ussia, with the ,$S$ go(ern%ent working on e.tradition$ Early /ears
Edward Snowden was orn in North Carolina on 0une 11, 1983, and grew u& in Eli!a eth City$ )is %other works for the federal court in Balti%ore 2the fa%ily %o(ed to Ellicott City, 3aryland, when Snowden was young4 as chief de&uty clerk for ad%inistration and infor%ation technology$ Snowden"s father, a for%er Coast 5uard officer, li(es in 6ennsyl(ania$ Snowden dro&&ed out of high school and studied co%&uters at Anne Arundel Co%%unity College in Arnold, 3aryland 2fro% 1999 to 1771, and again fro% 1778 to 17794, later earning a 5E:$ Between his stints at co%%unity college, Snowden s&ent four %onths 23ay to Se&te% er 17784 in the Ar%y -eser(es in s&ecial' forces training$ According to Ar%y sources, he did not co%&lete any training, and Snowden has said that he was discharged after he roke his legs in an accident$

5o(ern%ent +ork
;wo years after lea(ing Anne Arundel for the second ti%e, Snowden landed a <o with the National Security Agency as a security guard, which he so%ehow &arlayed into an infor%ation'technology <o at the Central Intelligence Agency$ Snowden has said that in 177=, the CIA stationed hi% in 5ene(a, ut in 1779 he left to work for &ri(ate contractors, a%ong the% :ell and Boo! Allen )a%ilton, a tech consulting fir%$ +ith Boo! Allen, he was shi&&ed off to 0a&an to work as a su contractor in an NSA office efore eing transferred to an office in )awaii$ After only three %onths with Boo! Allen, Snowden would %ake a decision that would change his life fore(er$

Blowing the +histle

+hile working at the NSA"s #ahu office, Snowden egan noticing go(ern%ent &rogra%s in(ol(ing the NSA s&ying on A%erican citi!ens (ia &hone calls and internet use$ Before long, lea(ing his >(ery co%forta le life> and ?177,777 salary ehind, in 3ay 1713, Snowden egan co&ying to&'secret NSA docu%ents while at work, uilding a dossier on &ractices that he found in(asi(e and distur ing$ ;he docu%ents contained (ast and da%ning infor%ation on the NSA"s do%estic sur(eillance &ractices, including s&ying on %illions of A%erican citi!ens under the u% rella of &rogra%s such as 6-IS3$ After he had co%&iled a large store of docu%ents, Snowden told his NSA su&er(isor that he needed a lea(e of a sence to undergo treat%ent for e&ile&sy, a condition recently diagnosed$ )e also told his girlfriend

that he"d e lea(ing )awaii for a few weeks, re%aining (ague a out why$ #n 3ay 17, 1713, Snowden took a flight to )ong *ong, China, where he re%ained during the early stages of the fallout$ ;his fallout egan the following %onth, on 0une 9, when the ,nited *ingdo%"s 5uardian news&a&er released secret docu%ents o tained fro% Snowden a out an A%erican intelligence ody 2@oreign Intelligence Sur(eillance Court4 de%anding that Aeri!on release infor%ation >on a daily asis> culled fro% its A%erican custo%ers" acti(ities$ ;he following day, the 5uardian and the +ashington ;i%es released Snowden"s leaked infor%ation on 6-IS3, an NSA &rogra% that allows real'ti%e infor%ation collection, in this case, solely infor%ation on A%erican citi!ens$ A flood of infor%ation followed, and the A%erican &eo&le, the international co%%unity and the ,$S$ go(ern%ent ha(e since een scra% ling to either hear %ore a out it or ha(e Snowden arrested$ >I"% willing to sacrifice B%y for%er lifeC ecause I can"t in good conscience allow the ,$S$

go(ern%ent to destroy &ri(acy, internet freedo% and asic li erties for &eo&le around the world with this %assi(e sur(eillance %achine they"re secretly uilding,> Snowden said after the fact, in a series of inter(iews gi(en in his )ong *ong hotel roo%$ ;he ,$S$ go(ern%ent saw a different side of the issue, and on 0une 18, 1713, federal &rosecutors charged Snowden with theft of go(ern%ent &ro&erty, unauthori!ed co%%unication of national defence infor%ation, and willful co%%unication of classified intelligence with an unauthori!ed &erson$ ;he last two charges fall under the Es&ionage Act$ 2Before 6resident Barack # a%a took office, the act had only een used for &rosecutorial &ur&oses three ti%es since 191=D Since 6resident # a%a took office, it had een in(oked se(en ti%es as of 0une 1713$4 Snowden re%ained in hiding for nearly one %onth, first asking Ecuador for asylu% and then fleeing )ong *ong for -ussia, whose go(ern%ent has denied the ,$S$ reEuest to e.tradite hi%$ By late 0une 1713, %ore than 177,777 &eo&le had signed an online &etition asking # a%a to &ardon Snowden$ ;he following %onth, Snowden %ade headlines again when it was announced that he had een offered asylu% in Aene!uela, Nicaragua and Boli(ia$ Around the sa%e ti%e, it was re&orted that Snowden was >stuck in transit> in 3oscow after the ,$S$ annulled his &ass&ort, and that he had not yet %ade a decision on where, of the countries offering hi% asylu%, he would e relocating$ In late 0uly, Snowden see%ed to ha(e %ade u& his %ind$ )e e.&ressed an interest in staying in -ussia$ #ne of his lawyers, Anatoly *ucherena, ga(e an inter(iew with CBS News$ *ucherena said that Snowden would seek te%&orary asylu% in -ussia and &ossi ly a&&ly for -ussian citi!enshi& later$ Snowden thanked -ussia for gi(ing hi% asylu% and said that >in the end the law is winning$> ;hat #cto er, Snowden re(ealed that he no longer &ossessed any of the NSA files that he leaked to &ress$ )e ga(e those %aterials to the <ournalists he %et with in )ong *ong, ut he didn"t kee& any co&ies for hi%self$

Snowden e.&lained that >it wouldn"t ser(e the &u lic interest> for hi% to ha(e rought the files to -ussia, according to ;he New /ork ;i%es$ Snowden recei(ed so%e ad news the following %onth$ According to the 5uardian news&a&er, his reEuest to the ,$S$ go(ern%ent for cle%ency was re<ected$ ;he ,nited States still wants Snowden to return ho%e and face cri%inal charges for leaking NSA docu%ents$

German "Whistle-blower Prize"

Edward Snowden was awarded the iennial 5er%an >whistle' lower &ri!e> in August 1713, in

a sentia, with an acco%&anying award eEual to 3,777 euro$ Esta lished in 1999, the award is s&onsored y the 5er%an ranch of the International Association of Fawyers against Nuclear Ar%s and y the Association of 5er%an Scientists$ #rgani!ers in Berlin said the &ri!e was to acknowledge his > old efforts to e.&ose the %assi(e and unsus&ecting %onitoring and storage of co%%unication data, which cannot e acce&ted in de%ocratic societies>$ Snowden res&onded to the award, saying it was >a great honor to e recogni!ed for the &u lic good created y this act of whistle lowing>, and that it was not he, ut the &u lic who effected >this &owerful change to a rogation of asic constitutional rights y secret agencies>$

;he Sa% Ada%s Award was &resented to Snowden

y a grou& of four A%erican for%er

intelligence officers and whistle' lowers in #cto er 1713$ After two %onths as an asylu%, Snowden %ade his first &u lic a&&earance in 3oscow to acce&t the award, a candlestick holder %eant to sy% oli!e > ringing light to dark corners>$ #ne of the &resenters, @BI whistle' lower 0esselyn -adack of the 5o(ern%ent Accounta ility 6ro<ect, told ;he Nation >+e elie(e that Snowden e.e%&lifies Sa% Ada%s"s courage, &ersistence and de(otion to truthGno %atter what the conseEuences$ +e wanted Snowden to know that, as o&&osed to the daily (itriol fro% the ,S go(ern%ent and %ainstrea% %edia, H7 &ercent of the ,nited States su&&orts hi%, including thousands in the national security and intelligence agencies where we used to work$> -adack was <oined y -ay 3c5o(ern, a for%er CIA analyst, e.'NSA e.ecuti(e ;ho%as :rake and for%er @BI agent Coleen -owley$ Snowden was chosen to gi(e Britain"s 1713 >Alternati(e Christ%as 3essage>, Channel 8"s alternati(e to the -oyal Christ%as 3essage y Iueen Eli!a eth II$ It was his first tele(ision a&&earance since arri(ing in -ussia$ )is focus was on the i%&ortance of &ri(acy and the need for an end to go(ern%ent sur(eillance$ In the 1$9 %inute seg%ent he said that the recently re(ealed >worldwide %ass sur(eillance> syste% that go(ern%ents ha(e coo&erated in creating is what 5eorge #rwell warned a out in 1988, a no(el a out a society controlled y an e(er'&resent Big Brother, e.ce&t that today"s sur(eillance ca&a ilities far sur&ass those #rwell descri ed$ >+e ha(e sensors in our &ockets that track us

e(erywhere we go,> he said$ >A child orn today will ne(er know what it %eans to ha(e a &ri(ate %o%ent to the%, an unrecorded, un'analysed thought$ ;hat"s a &ro le% ecause &ri(acy %atters, it allows us to deter%ine who we are, and who we want to e$> #n the de ate initiated y his leaks, he statedJ >;he con(ersation occurring today will deter%ine the a%ount of trust we can &lace oth in the technology that surrounds us and the go(ern%ent that regulates it$ ;ogether we can find a etter alance, end %ass sur(eillance and re%ind the go(ern%ent that if it really wants to know how we feel asking is always chea&er than s&ying$>

Bi liogra&hy