Lauren Hodes- Week 11- Movie Review Snowden

Hey guys so today (Sunday, November 15th) I watched the movie Snowden on Netflix. This move was extremely eye opening and informative. I highly recommend it to everyone. It tells the story of Ed Snowden, a former CIA and NSA official, who becomes a government whistleblower. During his time at the National Security Agency, he sees the mass spying that the government does on not only the American people but civilians all over the world. From phone cameras, to text conversations, to facetime calls the NSA has access to it all. This brings up the question of is America taking advantage of our freedoms and acting in a totalitarian way? Or does the government have these systems in place to protect us against foreign and domestic terror threats? While watching the movie, there is all but a thin line between intense oversight and security. Although Ed Snowden committed treasonous acts and leaked classified information, was he just trying to protect the American people? After 9/11, these safeguards were put in place but technology has taken over our lives. Not only are there real wars but now the government is just as focused on cyber security. Our day to day lives are being spied on and recorded while our government has access to it all. Snowden, from my perspective, is a patriot and did not have any ill intent when becoming a whistleblower. I believe that he cares so deeply for our country and was shocked by what is going on behind the scenes. All of these security concerns really bring up a moral dilemma. I do not typically watch movies like this because I usually watch comedies or romcoms. I’m happy that I decided to watch this with my family. This was different and something everyone should go watch.