Edward Snowden Ethical Issues

This report evaluates the case study of Edward Snowden by using doing ethics technique and ACS code of ethics. It analyses the ethical issues and implications of Snowden's actions and provides recommendations for addressing the ethical dilemmas.

Edward Snowden Ethical Issues
ICT Professional Practice and Ethics
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In this report, the case study of Edward Snowden was evaluated by using doing ethics
technique and ACS code of ethics. Snowden leaked confidential information about a data
mining program of NSA through which the government collect and mine the private data of
public. The data were collected to find a potential connection to terrorist activities in the US.
The collecting and mining of data were ethically wrong, and the leak of Snowden protected
the privacy of millions. Different alternatives and solutions are given in the report by using
doing ethics technique. Furthermore, the actions of Snowden were judged based on codes
of ethics issued by ACS. Lastly, a conclusion was drawn along with following
recommendations:
 Establishing a separate authority in which whistle-blowers can leak confidential data
of the government which is against the public interest while at the same time
protecting them.
 The main concern of the US government should be bringing Snowden back to the
country to reduce the threat of leaking the confidential data to terrorist groups.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction...............................................................................................................................3
Analysis of the Situation by using Doing Ethics Technique........................................................4
Analysis of the situation by using ACS Code of Ethics...............................................................9
Conclusion................................................................................................................................11
References................................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Along with the popularity of technological advancements, the importance of ethics has
grown between enterprises as well. Most companies are dealing with the private data of
people in the technology field, and they use such data to implement business policies.
However, most enterprises collect and mine the data of people in order to gain an unfair
advantage. Due to which the importance of information ethics has grown. It establishes a
relationship between the ethical and moral actions of a company which are associated with
the collection, use and process of public data (Floridi, 2013). Technologies such as open data
and big data have increased the ethical issues relating to collection and using of private data
of people which have become a primary concern in the past few years. In this report, the
case study of Edward Snowden and the data leak of NSA data mining program will be
discussed.
The report will analyse the case from the perspective of Edward Snowden while evaluating
the situation of other stakeholders as well. The ‘Doing ethics technique’ will be used in the
report for identifying different ethical issues in the case study and different alternative
recommendations will be given as well. Furthermore, the report will evaluate the case study
from a perspective of an ICT professional regarding the codes of ethics issued by the
Australian Computer Society. These codes of ethics are issued by ACS which is required to
comply by all the ICT members of ACS in order to ethically resolve issues faced by them
while discharging their duties. Various recommendations will be included in the report
which might be suitable for addressing the ethical dilemmas in the respective case study.

ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION BY USING DOING ETHICS
TECHNIQUE
What’s going on?
The case study of Edward Snowden deals with the leak of classified information about a data
mining program of NSA. The National Security Agency was collecting the personal data of
people from their phones and internet traffic records. The data was collected by the agency
to find any potential link to terrorist groups which might be active in the United States.
Edward Snowden leaked all the data by himself while working as a defence contractor for
NSA. He was an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton and an ex-CIA officer. The data was leaked
to the newspapers which include the Guardian and the Washington Post (Greenwald,
MacAskill and Poitras, 2013). After the leak, the citizen of the US became furious because
their government were collecting their personal data without their permission or
knowledge. It raised a number of ethical issues regarding collection and mining of data.
Before the leak of the information, Snowden went out of the country in order to protect
himself from the charges. The government finds out about his actions, and he was charged
with three criminal felonies. Two of the allegations were under the Espionage Act 1917
based on which he was considered as a traitor against the US (Gellman, Blake and Miller,
2013). He was not protected under the Whistle-blower Act because he was considered as a
traitor. People were considering his actions as heroic because after the leak the program
was terminated by the Obama administration and a rule was passed which prohibits any
governmental authority to collect or mine the personal data of people without prior
permission (NBC News, 2013). Many people and authorities were criticising the actions of
Snowden as well because he risked the national security by leaking classified data publicly.
What are the facts?
 Snowden leaked the data regarding data mining program through which the NSA
was unethically collecting the private data of public.
 Due to his actions, Snowden was charged with three felonies, and he was considered
as a traitor under the Espionage Act (Lee, 2015).

 Snowden flew away and got asylum in Russia in order to protect himself from the
criminal charges.
 People have mixed opinion about the actions of Snowden because they were
praising his actions which protected their privacy while at the same time his actions
were considered as a threat to the national security.
 Later he made a statement that he intentionally joined as a defence contractor at
Booz Allen Hamilton to learn about their security system in order to leak the
classified data.
What are the issues?
a. Firstly the issues are regarding unethical collection and mining of private data of
people without their permission or knowledge (Childress, 2015).
b. Another issue is that Snowden leaked the classified information which risked the
national security of the US.
c. Snowden was charged as a traitor, and the government imposed three criminal
allegations against him, two of which were under the Espionage Act.
d. There were mixed feeling about his actions because he did protect the privacy of
millions while at the same time risking the national security by leaking classified
information.
e. He flew away to Russia and got asylum there rather than confronting the
government and facing his charges even when he argued that he considered his
action to be absolutely right.
Who is affected?
Edward Snowden
One of the main stakeholders in the entire scenario is Snowden because he risked his life to
leak the data to the public. Due to his actions, he was charged with three criminal felonies
based, and he has to live the rest of his life like a fugitive. He leaves his family, friends, job,
and personal life in order to save the privacy of millions (Simpson and Ohlheiser, 2013).
United States Government

The government had to face many allegations after the leak of classified information about
the data mining program of NSA. People were criticising the unethical behaviour of the
government, and it faces global humiliation as well. Many of the commercial treaties of the
US government with other countries such as Germany, Russia and Brazil were cancelled. The
government of Germany called the actions of the US government as unethical and asked for
further reinvestigation. The President of Brazil cancelled his trip to the country which would
have resulted in creating new treaties between the two countries (Malkin, 2013). Russian
government gave asylum to Snowden and criticised the actions of the US government
(Kramer, 2017).
Cloud Service Provider
A large number of US-based cloud computing services providers faced serious financial loss
after the leak. People and organisations were concerned about their data which they store
on the servers of CSP. After the incident, they cancelled their subscription with their
respective CSPs which caused billions of loss (Stern and Armitage, 2013).
National Security Agency
The primary goal of NSA is to ensure the security of the nation and the agency faced
criticism from the people for collecting their private data without their knowledge and
permission. After the termination of the program, it becomes difficult for the NSA to collect
the information about active terrorist groups in the country.
Booz Allen Hamilton
The company failed to identify the true intentions of Snowden and its reputation was
reduced after the incident. Many organisations cancelled their contract with the company
after the leak.
Terrorist Groups
The terrorists can use the classified information leaked by Snowden to plan their next attack
in the country. The use of mobile and internet has become easier for them as well because
the NSA can no longer collect their data which increases the risk of national security.
US Citizens

People were devastated to find out that their government is collecting and mining their
private data without their knowledge and permission which reduces their trust in the
government (Ray, 2018).
What are the ethical issues and implications?
 Utilitarianism theory – The unethical collection of public data was a key issue and
actions of Snowden protected the privacy of millions of US citizens living in the
country.
 Deontology theory – The motive of Snowden was ethical, but his actions were illegal
based on which the government charged him with three criminal felonies.
 Contractarianism theory – The illegal actions of Snowden were wrong however they
protected the privacy of millions based on which they are justified.
 Virtues theory – Snowden’s actions were illegal however he was honest, and he had
taken an illegal route to protect the privacy of millions.
 The issue is rather than giving information to a government authority, Snowden
leaked the information to the public which resulted in risking the security of the
nation.
What can be done about it?
There are a number of actions which can be taken in this situation. Snowden can come back
to his home country in order to accept his charges because terrorist groups could capture
him outside the US, and they can torture him to leak confidential information about the
country. The government should consider the actions of Snowden as an act of Whistle-
blower and remove all his charges. Donald Trump can use his position relationship with
Russian President, Putin, to terminate the asylum of Snowden and bring him back. The
government can also bring Snowden back to the country by ensuring him that a valid
hearing will be held in the Supreme Court will his actions will be judged based on ethical
principles.
What are the options?
1) The government can make changes in the Whistle-blower Act to remove the
allegations of Snowden and remove his charges to bring him back to the country.

2) Trump can request Putin to end the asylum of Snowden and sent him back to the US.
3) Snowden can surrender himself and accept the charges of the government.
4) The government can ensure Snowden that the Supreme Court will judge his actions
from an ethical perspective.
Which option is best and why?
The last option is the best because in this way Snowden will come back to the country which
will reduce the risk of terrorists collecting classified information through him. It will also
make Snowden happy because his charges will be removed and his actions will be judged
based on ethical perspective.

ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION BY USING ACS CODE OF ETHICS
The Primacy of Public Interest
An ICT professional must prioritise the interest of public above all. The actions taken by an
ICT professional should focus on the interest and benefit of the public rather than personal
interest or the benefit of the organisation (Burmeister, 2013). Snowden leaked the classified
information in public for protecting the privacy of millions of US citizens. Thus, he prioritised
the interest of public above all.
The Enhancement of Quality of Life
While discharging his/her duties, an ICT professional should ensure that the actions are
focused towards enhancing the quality of life of people who are affected by his work
(Clarke, 2016). Snowden was working with NSA, and he leaked the classified information
about their data mining program. After the leak, a law was passed by the government that
no authority can collect or mine the private data of public without prior permission. Thus,
the actions of Snowden resulted in enhancing the quality of life of US citizens based on
which he complied with this principle.
Honesty
Honesty is a key element which is required to be fulfilled by an ICT professional while doing
his/her job. An ICT professional should be honest while giving professional advice, services,
or performing the job (Kovac, 2015). The actions of Snowden breached his honesty towards
Booz Allen Hamilton and NSA; however, he had taken such actions based on his honesty
towards the people of the US. Thus, Snowden was honest towards the public because he
protected their privacy.
Competence
It is necessary that an ICT professional should discharge his duties diligently, and he/she
must be competent to perform the job which he/she is assigned. Snowden is knowledge and
was good at his job as a defence contractor. He joined the job at Booz Allen Hamilton to
learn about their security system which assisted him in leaking the data of NSA (Rowen,

2018). No one knew about his actions until it was published in the papers. Thus, he was
competent to perform his job effectively.
Professional Development
An ICT professional should always strive for personal and professional development and the
development of his/her colleagues. In order to develop professionally, an ICT professional
should learn about the latest advancements and developments in the IT field to ensure that
he/she is able to perform his job effectively (Pease-Carter and Minton, 2012). Snowden
learned about the security system of Booz Allen Hamilton by joining as a defence contractor
and was able to collect the confidential data of NSA carefully and without anyone knowing.
He was aware of the latest advancements and developments in the IT field. Thus, he
complied with this code as well.
Professionalism
It is a duty of an ICT professional to enhance and maintain the integrity of the society and
respect other ICT members while working with them. An ICT professional should maintain a
high level of professionalism while performing his/her job to ensure that people’s trust in
the ICT professional is maintained (Boughton, 2013). Snowden could have given the
classified information to a governmental authority which would have resolved the issue
while maintaining the integrity of NSA and the US government. Thus, he breached this code
by acting unprofessionally.

CONCLUSION
It can be concluded that there are a number of ethical issues in the case study of Edward
Snowden. Firstly, the collecting and mining of personal data of people by NSA were
unethical and wrong. Snowden was charged for his actions by the US government, and he
has to live rest of his life as a fugitive. Although the actions of Snowden protected the
privacy of millions, however, his actions were not protected under the Whistle-blower Act.
There are a number of alternative solutions in the situation such as removal of Snowden’s
charges, bring him back to the country, and judging his case on an ethical level. The best
option is removing his charges and judging his actions by the Supreme Court on an ethical
level. Snowden complied with most of the codes of ethics issued by ACS; however, his
actions were not professional because he could have leaked the information to a
government authority or the court. Following are various recommendations for this case:
 The US government should establish a separate authority in which people such as
Snowden could disclose government secrets that are affecting the interest of people.
It will protect them, and their actions will not be considered as ethically wrong.
 Rather than focusing on punishing Snowden, the US government should focus on
bringing him back to the country in order to ensure that terrorists do not capture
him because it could leak government secrets.

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