Permanent Record

Permanent Record delves into the life story of Edward Snowden, the well-renowned national whistleblower who built the exposé on STELLARWIND, the US mass surveillance program used to spy on American citizens.

It is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Fortunately for us, Edward Snowden was the one to stop this train from reaching its destination. Rather than taking part in a mass monitoring program similar to the one used in China, Snowden chose to expose the unconstitutional practices of the US government.

STELLARWIND was the name of the national surveillance program that the US created to monitor its citizens after the horrific day of 9/11. On paper, the program aimed to improve national security. In practice, it was intrusive and unconstitutional, as it was used to spy on individuals in detail.

From your daily schedule to your browser history, government employees with access to this data could monitor you as they pleased. As if this practice wasn’t intrusive enough, Snowden claims to have seen fellow colleagues spying on their loved ones out of jealousy under false security pretenses.

If you too feel enranged, it’s because you should. The American constitution is built on the premise of numerous rights, including the one for privacy. So, now that you know that, what does it mean to Edward Snowden? Let’s see!

Snowden had a passion for technology, the internet, and ways to hack it since childhood. It was a no-brainer for him that this is the path he was going to pursue. His parents were both employed in the public sphere, having jobs secretive in nature. After 9/11, he felt the urge to serve his country and help improve national security. He enrolled in the army, but after a broken ankle and a few short months of service, he realized that everyone would be better off with him in a tech-focused position. NSA needed staff, so he managed to advance quickly in his career. After attending a conference in China, he learned how other countries were spying on their citizens. Needless to say, he thought that his own might do the same. A little bit of digging later, he came across the STELLARWIND program. He tried to let it go, but something inside him was telling him that it isn’t fair for the citizens. He teamed up with a documentarian and a civil liberties lawyer. Leaking the data was the toughest part of the job. He had to use multiple undetectable devices and lie to his colleagues on a daily basis. When he managed to compile the data, the team exposed it through The Guardian news outlet. He then looked for asylum while dealing with US’s accusations. On…