Effects on Current Day Technology, Legislation with Respect to Ethical Valuation

Abstract

Edward Snowden is an American who released classified government information to journalists in June 2013. These secrets revealed the existence and purpose of numerous government mass-surveillance programs, which were developed to gather, retain, and analyze electronic information not only on a nationwide scale but also on a global scale. Due to his actions, some would describe Snowden as a villain or traitor, while others would describe him as a hero or patriot. After the release of information about large government surveillance programs, there are varied opinions as to whether this had a reforming effect on our society from a technical and legislative standpoint. However, there has been very little focus on whether the absence or presence of these changes has any correlation or effect on what we think about it ethically. This research is intended to discuss if the results of Edward Snowden's actions had an impact on cybertechnology and legislation due to the ethical considerations surrounding it.