Conflict involves a clash of ideas interests and expectations Essay

Submitted By cokecan30
Words: 1432
Pages: 6
Open Document
Conflict involves a clash of ideas, interests and expectations
By Caitlin Kerr
Edward Snowden. No doubt everyone has heard the story, and everyone has different opinions on his actions. He has been labelled whistle-blower, traitor and even hero by some. But I am not here to debate whether or not this man was right or wrong in what he did. I am here to explain the cause of this monumental conflict.
To give some context for those of you who do not know the full story Edward Snowden was working as a consultant for the NSA; as a system administrator he had access to their systems and in June last year began to reveal certain classified documents to some handpicked journalists leading the way to June’s revelations. As the story continues to unfold before our eyes, we learn more and more about the programs run by the NSA and the clash of ideas, interests and expectations they have caused. To understand the causes of clashes, I have managed to establish contact with Snowden via email. (Applause) We hoped to have a discussion with him live via webcam but unfortunately he is unable to join us due to fear that his location has been traced. Instead I will attempt to explain our discussions over the past few weeks.
To begin, it is important to explain exactly why Snowden released the documents to the public. His ideas contradicted those of the NSA’s; He did not believe that the NSA should be able to run a mass-surveillance system like the PRISM program with access to all our metadata. I quote “They’ve said it’s just metadata, it’s just metadata, and they’re talking about a specific legal authority called Section 215 of the Patriot Act. That allows some sort of a warrantless wiretapping, mass surveillance of the entire country’s phone records, who you’re talking to, when you’re talking to them, where you travelled. These are all metadata events.” He felt that this mass surveillance challenged the right to privacy and that he had to do something about it. He believes “The public had a right to know about these programs” and doesn’t “want to live in a society that does these sort of things [mass surveillance]”. When faced with the threat of retribution from the government, you’d expect him to back down, recant. Fearing for his safety, he fled the country, first to Hong Kong then travelling to Russia where he has remained for the past year, but not backing down, continuing to release documents. Snowden maintains that he isn’t going to stop “just to benefit [him] self” because he believes that “individuals citizens have the duty to violate domestic laws to prevent crimes against peace and humanity from occurring”.
It was not only a clash of ideas that resulted in Snowden’s release of documents; it was a clash of interests. The NSA has been accused of covering up programs and keeping secrets from both the general public and the government. One of the main culprits of this cover up is a program called Bullrun. Named after a Civil War battle, Snowden believes it is named this way because they target our own infrastructure. They are programs through which the NSA intentionally misleads corporate partners. They say they need to work to secure their systems, but in reality they’re building in backdoors that not only the NSA can exploit, they are also degrading the security of their services. This program is run to gain information and ensure that companies such as Google and Yahoo pass on the information they are expected to hand over. The NSA asked for the authority to run programs like this in the 1990s. They asked the FBI to go to Congress and make the case, which the FBI did. Congress and the American people said no. But we find ourselves in the present day, with these programs run behind our backs, without asking Congress and without asking the American people. Their interest in obtaining information is viewed as more important than the consent and safety of the people and corporations in the name of national security.
With the evidence
Show More

Related Documents: Conflict involves a clash of ideas interests and expectations Essay

Essay on Encountering Conflict Doc Handout Quotes Word Bank Ideas Table Holiday Work Term 11

ENCOUNTERING CONFLICT Term 1 Holiday Work Firstly, complete the questions on ‘The Rugmaker of El Mazar Sharif’ Complete activity A, B, C and D before term start of term 2. Finally, check that you’ve complete the writing activities on ‘The Rugmaker’ 1,2, 4 and 5. ACTIVITY A: SOME QUOTATIONS Read and think about the following quotations. Choose at least 3 and write about what the quotations mean to you, discussing how it relates to the conflicts encountered by Najaf and other asylum…

Words 2035 - Pages 9

Essay On Conflict In The Workplace

will use many words to define conflict. These definitions are likely to include words such as disagreement, contradiction, opposition, clash, rivalry and struggle. Conflict in one form or another is sure to occur in any organization, and is often best described as an opposition of interests or ideas. Nevertheless, conflict should be considered as a byproduct of the normal day to day operations of any workplace and a normal part of organizational functions. Conflict that arises in the workplace typically…

Words 1793 - Pages 8

5DPP Assignment Nov 2014 Essay

Julie Wilson Intermediate Diploma in Human Resource Management Developing Professional Practice 5DPP ` Contents Page; 1.0 Background of the Organisation 2.0 Introduction 3.0 Project Planning Tool 4.0 Project Plan 5.0 Risk Assessment 6.0 Creative Thinking 7.0 Project Team 8.0 Political Behaviour 9.0 Recommendations & Conclusion 10.0 Reference Page 1.0 Background of the Organisation Boots is a member of Alliance Boots, an international pharmacy-led health and beauty group…

Words 3157 - Pages 13

Managing Conflict In The Workplace

ILM Level 3 Certificate & Diploma in First Line Management Unit M3.14 Managing conflict in the workplace Conflicts at work take many forms. It might be an individual with a grievance, a problem between an employee and a manager or conflict between two co-workers. Any conflict can get in the way of work and make your business less productive. Dealing with conflict at an early stage to nip it in the bud and stop the situation developing into a full-blown dispute will save…

Words 3800 - Pages 16

Superpower Geographies Essay

(4) Superpower Geographies 4.1 Superpower Geographies 4.1.1 What is a superpower? Superpowers are countries with disproportionate power and influence so that they have more than the rest of the world and thus are the biggest decision makers. Superpowers are usually large countries in terms of population and physical extent. Physical size may provide a natural resource base that the superpower can thus exploit and draw on to develop their power and influence further. These countries have global influence…

Words 4661 - Pages 19

Communication and Children Essay

confident within the school setting. In order to be able to build these types of relationships, the child or young person first has to get to know you and for trust to be gained. Good communication is also important because in my experience, when clear expectations and boundaries are established and you make your point as plainly and as simply as possible then that leaves no room for explanation or misinterpretation and this creates a positive learning or working environment. When this kind of relationship…

Words 4118 - Pages 17

Globalization and New York Essay

and conflict, order and disorder.[6] There is much debate and little consensus on whether globalization is a positive development. Recent popular titles on globalization, "Lexus and the Olive Tree" and "Jihad Vs. McWorld," attest to the seemingly contradictory unifying and divisive forces inherent in globalization. For some, globalization processes, on balance, represent a tremendous opportunity for prosperity, peace, and democracy.[7] Others, by contrast, see greater potential for conflict, extreme…

Words 8405 - Pages 34

Sources of Ethics Essay

• Company codes, ordinarily brief and highly generalized, express broad expectations about fit conduct. • Second, company operating policies often contain an ethical dimension. Express policies as to gifts, customer complaints, hiring, and other decisions serve as a guide to conduct and as a shield by which the employee…

Words 20200 - Pages 81

Essay on Principle Of Marketing

their customers. When a firm adapts a marketing orientation philosophy, then they are targeting satisfying their customer's needs as their ultimate goal. Lastly, societal marketing orientation is marketing orientation plus the added interest of satisfying society's interests. The main differences between a sales-oriented company and a marketing-oriented company have to do with their overall view of the marketplace. A sales-oriented company is very internally focused and looks to sell products that the…

Words 7536 - Pages 31

Gp Essay Mainpoints

GP NOTES 2010 (ESSAY) Content Page 1. Media a. New vs. Traditional b. New: narcissistic? c. Government Censorship d. Profit-driven Media e. Advertising f. Private life of public figures g. Celebrity as a role model h. Blame media for our problems i. Power + Responsibility of Media j. Media ethics k. New Media and Democracy 2. Science/Tech a. Science and Ethics b. Government and scientist role in science c. Rely too much on technology? d. Nuclear technology…

Words 24667 - Pages 99