Former Central Intelligence Agency employee Edward Snowden delivered Britain’s 2013 “Alternative Christmas Message” on Christmas day last month.
As a hired contractor for the National Security Agency, Snowden released classified information to several news outlets back in June and was pursued internationally until finding asylum in Russia.
In the one and a half minute video, Snowden explained the importance of an individual’s privacy and cited George Orwell’s classic novel “1984”, in which the government uses several devices to spy on citizens.
“Recently, we learned that our governments, working in concert, have created a system of worldwide mass surveillance, watching everything we do,” Snowden said.
“George Orwell warned us of the danger of this kind of information. The types of collection in [the novel]… are nothing compared to what we have available today.”
Snowden also explained the importance of an individual’s privacy, stating that a child born this year will never have a conversation unrecorded or moment unanalyzed. Snowden believes that we will live in a future without any moments that are completely our own.
“That’s a problem,” Snowden said. “Because privacy matters. Privacy is what allows us to determine who we are and what we want to be. “Together we can find a better balance. The conversation occurring today will determine the amount of trust we can place both in the technology that surrounds us and the government that regulates it.”
Now living in asylum in Russia, Snowden’s message calls for a better balance of government security while still protecting the individual’s privacy however, he offers little solution on how this can be accomplished. Where should the “new” line be drawn? What should be prioritized? Government security or individual privacy? Snowden’s message focused on inspiring debate rather than offering solutions.
