PRIVACY'S REAL?

By Bishal June 20, 2020

The very scintillating device from which you are viewing this blog can be subjected to surveillance; in fact it already has been at least once, though you may not have even the slightest hue of clue about it. I understand that you’re busy and possibly have other interesting things to do rather than reading this, but where exactly? Of course from your dear smartphone (most commonly), however let me share a subject of contingent fascination to you; your privacy.

What if I told you that you’re being monitored for every move you make, every app you install, every website you visit, or […you may not like knowing this] every conversation you have over the net? Consider WhatsApp [Part of Facebook] as the most common facility every individual possesses, you might be having esoteric conversations with a person or a group of close ones, and naturally you do not want that data vaporizing out into somewhere you would not want it to, or to be seen by a stranger for purposes you definitely would not sanction authorization ever! Yes EVER! But I believe you might have seen this in your app which kind of gives a consolatory pacification over your privacy.

And you perhaps trust that fairy tale, don’t you? It’s not just about WhatsApp, consider the privacy options of any social media application you’re using). Yes, it’s rather strange that our psyche is in denial, whom should you trust now that you know the conventions you believed in are in a state of skepticism? This is where the geeky person comes in, and it might be preferential to apprehend what this person called Edward Snowden did for the cyber-connected individuals all around the world.

You see USA is among the superpowers dominating the global portfolio, including the tech-realm, and the government there was spying on the public; their interests, their values, their lives in fact all through their electronic devices which included cell phones (even before the dawn of smartphones), as trivial as it may sound like the most unsophisticated gadgets had been used for eavesdropping the American public. But it was not just the American Government, slowly the other nations joined in, the list of which remains confidential. The privacy of the public is scrutinized in the name of ‘protection from terrorism’ to consent for illegal eavesdropping. When Snowden realized this (since he was a person working “inside”) he made up his mind to share this with the world, and let them decide what they want; if they wanna be spied on like they were used to, or did they want it to stop.

But you might be thinking how was he able to copy all the classified government files which were reasonably under high security clearance? Snowden started small, he worked as a security guard from which he quickly pulled himself up to a technical expert for the CIA. Enhancing himself even further he got himself stationed in Geneva for CIA, now working as a ‘systems administrator’, gathering experience and knowledge as he moved on, it was in 2009 that he cerebrated about becoming a whistleblower. When he was positioned to Dell Corporation in Japan he discovered more about the surveillance capabilities, and he seriously felt the need to share this with those who were victimized; the public. And it was in 2011 when he took the irreversible step of abandoning the CIA Office in Maryland working with tech giants like Microsoft, what displays his dedication is that he not only left the high job profile (CIA) but also lucrative career with an annual income of $200,000.

He had to move away from his long term girlfriend whom he had planned to marry. It was from 2012 that he started downloading the files that would literally shock the users all around the world. He was too serious about the illegal eavesdropping particularly from the NSA (National Security Agency), and was firm about ending the concealed surveillance for users like you and me. So he made his first contact to a journalist named Glenn Greenwald on 1^st December, 2012, following the course of actions (along with Laura Poitras; filmmaker)

Glenn Greenwald & Laura Poitras

left a thundering impact for nations globally, and the rest is history. Because every individual values his/her privacy, any action which endangers that right will not be accepted by any free citizen living anywhere across the continents. So when we talk about privacy in cyber-world, Snowden in my opinion deserves being stated, his self-giving contributions are truly heroic, and unlike the characters that we admire from Marvel studios (like Iron Man) this person is real, and what he did for us is historical.

“I want to spark a worldwide debate about privacy, Internet freedom, and the dangers of state surveillance,” he said. “I’m not afraid of what will happen to me. I’ve accepted that my life will likely be over from my doing this. I’m at peace with that. I know it’s the right thing to do.” ~Snowden…