But it is a real thing. In 2013, US CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) data analyst Edward Snowden made the US Prism plan public. In this plan, the U.S. government conducts backup analysis of all user data of the nine major U.S. Internet giants, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, and YouTube, so as to achieve the intention of all U.S. citizens to monitor. Moreover, this program also conducts data collection and monitoring on almost all important countries in the world. In 2016, Oliver Stone put it on the big screen. It is said that the filming was very difficult. There was no company investment in the United States, and it was very difficult to finish the filming.
Snowden's story really caused an uproar in the whole world, and was declared a "traitor" by the United States, and finally fled to Russia. The release of the film allowed us to see more details, and the eventual appearance of Snowden himself added to the authenticity of the film, even though it was not a documentary.
Freedom or security Which is more important, freedom or security? Everyone has to surrender some of their freedom to the government for safety, but what is the right level? Does the government infringe upon the liberties of citizens require the authorization of the citizens? Is the consent of citizens required? The value judgment of freedom and security is a very important value basis for the film. The US government uses terrorism as an excuse to use the Prism program to spy on everyone, if only from a security point of view, it does work. But on the other hand, liberty has been seriously violated. And more importantly, don't just see what the government says about the Prism plan, but also see the other problems it could bring. For example, in the event of a leader with authoritarian tendencies, Project Prism would become a perfect listening system, exposing all citizens to true terror, as described in 1942. This is a very scary thing, and as a citizen of a democratic country, you can imagine how dumbfounded it would be to see this news.
The courage to confront authority Snowden finally chose to expose the Prism plan. In addition to his personal sense of responsibility, his courage to confront the government is also admirable. Of course, there is also an important environmental factor, which is the democratic system of the United States, the independence of the media, and the freedom of the press. Therefore, some people say that what would happen if Snowden's incident happened in China, at least it is impossible to tell what happened in the United States. There are media who can help him secretly, and they can boldly publish it, even if they confront the government. For Snowden, announcing the Prism plan also faces great challenges. On the one hand, he will lose everything he has, including a high salary and a stable life. On the other hand, he will definitely be labeled as a traitor, a spy, etc. , wanted by the government, or jailed, or even killed. Being able to escape to a place to survive safely is probably the best outcome. Therefore, in terms of personal gains and losses, Snowden's behavior deserves great respect.
Concerns about the Internet Age Given that the U.S. Prism program is indeed real, we cannot be sure when other countries or agencies may be likely to undertake similar actions. That's what's more scary.
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