Ten years after Edward Snowden revealed that intelligence agencies abuse their authority to spy on people in the United States and around the world, the whistleblower continues to cast a long shadow. Here at home, Congress is thinking of extending surveillance powers amidst debates informed by concerns about privacy. Overseas, Irish regulators just slapped Facebook parent Meta with a massive fine under a European Union law meant to address governments siphoning data acquired by private companies. Snoops and their targets alike, we're all living in a world shaped by Snowden.
Just as the 9/11 attacks supercharged the security state with new power to intercept communications, Edward Snowden fueled concerns that the snoops' authority extended much too far. The result has been an ongoing tussle between those who say they want the intelligence community to protect us, and people concerned that we need protection from the intelligence community.
