The Snowden Effect

No one individual has had a more profound on the United States, its national surveillance complex, issues of privacy, and the abusive government power and control post-9/11, than Edward Snowden. President Obama (and others) has said it is a conversation we needed to have (yet Obama continues to chill free speech). Truly the Man of the Year (forget TIME--it's a dinosaur), Edward Snowden's revelations will continue to impact the US and world in 2014.

The Snowden saga heralds a radical shift in capitalism - FT.com: " . . . . the National Security Agency contractor turned whistleblower has revealed too many uncomfortable truths about how today’s world works. Technical infrastructure and geopolitical power; rampant consumerism and ubiquitous surveillance; the lofty rhetoric of “internet freedom” and the sober reality of the ever-increasing internet control – all these are interconnected in ways most of us would rather not acknowledge or think about. Instead, we have focused on just one element in this long chain – state spying – but have mostly ignored all others. . . ."

Prediction: Edward Snowden will never be prosecuted in the United States, but will live out his life as a free global citizen.

Tweet    Follow @johnmpoole