Edward Snowden
The world rallies behind Edward Snowden's attempted take down of the NSA. This is mostly because the public at large does not like to be spied on. That's understandable, right? Well, what if Edward Snowden had a suspicious past – one that was overlooked by the government?
Would this make you feel a little less comfy backing up what Snowden has done? For some, the fact that the U.S. Government didn't really follow through when it came to checking out Snowden's suspicious behavior is unsettling.
Edward Snowden: Just the Facts, Jack.
According to a recent article printed in the NY Times, Snowden's former CIA supervisor had suspected him of strange behavior, but the complaints were never followed up by anyone else. The ball was dropped. Now, whether or not this is true remains to be seen, but there's a bigger problem.
The Defense Department has now realized that anyone in Snowden's former position can access classified documents. How? As it turns out, Snowden was often left unsupervised. Uh-Oh. That's not good. That means that someone with a weak background security check and no supervision could easily tap into government files. So, that might not be a good thing, right?
Better Security Is Needed
The government files that Snowden accessed were supposed to be secure. Those files were password protected, and they were supposed to only be accessed by a handful of people. However, if nobody is watching, well, anyone can do anything with the right password.
The problem goes even further, too. While the government may be able to adjust surveillance laws when it comes to government issued phones and computers, it is kind of hard for any workplace (government or not) to tap into a person's private life. It would have been impossible for someone to see what Snowden was up to at home, for example.
How to Keep Files Safe
One way for the government to keep these types of files out of prying eyes is to use a cloud-based host. With split keys and some serious encryption technology, only one or two employees could have access to certain files. From there, new laws could be set up that ask top level employees to waive certain surveillance rights both at home and at work – party of the high salary job description, if you will.
Then again, if Snowden didn't have access to those files, we would never know about the NSA. So, there's that to think about. On the one hand, it's important that we know about things like the NSA. On the other hand, keeping government files safe from, say, spies is really vital to the entire country.
Where do you stand on this issue? Should Snowden have been monitored more closely?
