Is Edward Snowden a Hero or Traitor?

Criminal Justice Edward Snowden Is Edward Snowden a hero or traitor? Is Edward Snowden a hero or traitor? Edward Snowden used to work as an intelligence contractor. Lately he leaked information about some security projects. The leaked information is about secret program carried out by NASA and is a massive surveillance program. Snowden believes that the tax money of people of America is a liability on government and government institutions and hence they have the right to know how and where their money is being used.

On the other hand, the president of United States calls those files classified, hence Snowden is charged with accused of being a traitor. The public, on the other hands calls him a hero and it is raising voices for Snowden who escaped to Hong Kong. Goldman (2013) says that Snowden was a whistle-blower before his "promotion" to either hero or the traitor's role. He has been leaking information on secret domestic data mining programs earlier but NASA became the victim only lately.

It is believed by other whistle blowers, like David who leaked files regarding Vietnam War that the cost of telling the truth is to be called a traitor. The government does not want its people to know the truth hence it hunts and punishes those wanting to expose the truth. Snowden is the hero of American people but the villain for the government. The government wants to be the sole caretaker of public's money without their complete knowledge of where their money is being spent.

The government protects only those whistle-blowers that are government employees working for nation's secrets (Goldman, 2013). The government's definition of whistle blower does not only base on the principles of ethics and law but also on whom the whistle blower is working for. Hence, though a hero for the people of America, the government calls him the traitor and is looking for him to catch and put him to trial. It is believed by Rampson (2013) that Snowden can be a hero or a traitor and even someone in between.

He says that Snowden might have opened the program details not only for the people of America but the enemies might also take advantage. The leaks made by Snowden are one of most critical in American history. It can give helping hands to enemies to get access to security and online privacy programs of America. Snowden offered secret and confidential information to The Guardian and The Washington Post that published classified documents on state surveillance programs.

A newspaper received hundreds of millions of American phone records that can offer links to overseas terrorists The slogan of the information and digital age of today is to make information freely available to people but this definition of "free" has many limitations and constraints. Internet made it possible for Snowden to leak information and to publicize it and the same very internet spread his voice yet it cannot change the interests of the government that wants to punish him at any cost.

People of USA, whatever the government says, believe that Snowden is their hero. Like any other traditional or untraditional hero, Snowden has put his life and family at risk for the.