Tech Musing 3: Thoughts On Edward Snowden and Privacy

Edward Snowden is a former employee of the National Security Agency contractor. He is known for whistleblowing. His disclosure revealed numerous global surveillance program from NSA.  According to Snowden, the United States government has secretly monitors not only people in other countries but also U.S. citizens. The government is capable of accessing people’s phone records and can crack people’s email passwords in order to monitor information. 

On February 26, an Chinese student was denied to reentry to the U.S. due to an incriminating message on her mobile phone. The US customs found a message in the student's WeChat app, a popular instant messaging platform, in which she told one of her friends "I don't really want to go to school, I just need a temporary [student] identity." The U.S. customs officials found the evidence from mobile phone to prove their suspicion of immigrant intent and deported the student immediately. 

However, some information might not mentioned in the report. I read some different information from news and social media in China. The deported student claimed that she was pretty sure that evidence of immigrant intent had been deleted long ago from her cell phone, so she had no idea how customs find the message. The conversation that customs found happened more than half a year ago and is in Chinese. Even if the evidence was still in the phone, how customs knew where to find it among so much conversation records of six months, let alone how customs officials can translate Chinese message. So this early ready evidence may indicates that global surveillance program is much more than terrorism and homeland security.   

In my opinion,  government does need to take some actions to protect its own people, but privacy also needs to be respected. It is hard to find a balance and I am not happy to be monitored. 

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/971526.shtml