In summer 2013, a young person called Edward Snowden made the most significant leak of secrets in modern history. His revelations of the National Security Agency surveillance programs of phones and Internet of millions of Americans and other countries shocked the world and ruined his life. The United States government and the companies involved in the spy consider him a traitor who must be severely punished, while many Americans and people around the world see him as a hero who puts his life in danger to reveal the abuses of the US security agencies. In order to announce a fair verdict in the Snowden case and decide whether he is a traitor or a hero, it seems necessary to display both points of views, list the benefits and the damages of the leak, and then make the decision. .
Both of the US government and the companies involved in the spying operations consider Snowden a traitor and criminal because of the huge harm caused by his leak. For the government, Snowden is a lawbreaker who has committed the crime of espionage by disclosing classified information and material that harm the security of the United States. He then should be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. The Washington Post published a copy of the document that shows criminal complaint against Snowden, indicates that his accusation was an "Unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified communication intelligence information to an unauthorized person"(U.S. vs. Edward Snowden). On the other hand, the NSA and the other companies involved in this scandal requested a criminal investigation into Snowden. The director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, clarifies in an interview with NBC, "I think we all feel profoundly offended by that. This is someone who, for whatever reason, has chosen to violate a sacred trust for this country. And so I hope we're able to track down whoever's doing this, because it is extremely damaging to, and it affects the safety and security of this country"(Clapper).
