“The snowden revelations about national security agency surveillance; starting in 2013; along with the ambiguous complicity of internet companies and the international controversies that followed provide a perfect segue into con- temporary conundrums of surveillance and big data. attention has shifted from late c20th information technologies and networks to a c21st focus on data; currently crystallized in ‘“big data.”’ big data intensifies certain surveillance trends associated with information technology and networks; and is thus implicated in fresh but fluid configurations. this is considered in three main ways: one; the capacities of big data (including metadata) intensify surveillance by expanding interconnected datasets and analytical tools. existing dynamics of influence; risk-management; and control increase their speed and scope through new techniques; especially predictive analytics. two; while big data appears to be about size; qualitative change in surveillance practices is also perceptible; accenting consequences. important trends persist – the control motif; faith in technology; public-private synergies; and user-involvement – but the future-orientation increasingly severs surveillance from history and memory and the quest for pattern-discovery is used to justify unprecedented access to data. three; the ethical turn becomes more urgent as a mode of critique. modernity’s predilection for certain definitions of privacy betrays the subjects of surveillance who; so far from conforming to the abstract; disembodied image of both computing and legal practices; are engaged and embodied users-in-relation whose activities both fuel and foreclose surveillance.”

“Current revelations about the secret us-nsa program, prism, have con-firmed the large-scale mass surveillance of the telecommunication and electronic messages of governments, companies, and citizens, including the united states’ closest allies in europe and latin america. the trans-national ramifications of surveillance call for a re-evaluation of contempo-rary world politics’ practices. the debate cannot be limited to the united states versus the rest of the world or to surveillance versus privacy; much more is at stake. this collective article briefly describes the specificities of cyber mass surveillance, including its mix of the practices of intelligence services and those of private companies providing services around the world. it then investigates the impact of these practices on national secu-rity, diplomacy, human rights, democracy, subjectivity, and obedience.”

“Did edward snowden cause irreparable harm, or did he reveal facts that should be publicly examined? what are the facts, anyhow? this article seeks to put the snowden revelations in context, explaining what’s new, why it matters, and what might happen next.”

“The article explores privacy behavior and u.s. public attitudes towards mass media following the release of information on state-surveillance detailed by former national security administration (nsa) contractor edward j. snowden. the author reflects on public knowledge about the prism program and related cyberintelligence initiatives. emphasis is given to a study using the metrics of information seeking, privacy-enhancing configurations, and new webpages. other topics include internet search habits, public interest in privacy services, and the relevance of longitudinal research.”

“In 2013, edward snowden revealed that the nsa and its partners had been engaging in warrantless mass surveillance, using the internet and cellphone data, and driven by fear of terrorism under the sign of ’security’. in this compelling account, surveillance expert david lyon guides the reader through snowden’s ongoing disclosures: the technological shifts involved, the steady rise of invisible monitoring of innocent citizens, the collusion of government agencies and for-profit companies and the implications for how we conceive of privacy in a democratic society infused by the lure of big data. lyon discusses the distinct global reactions to snowden and shows why some basic issues must be faced: how we frame surveillance, and the place of the human in a digital world.surveillance after snowden is crucial reading for anyone interested in politics, technology and society.”

“Is edward snowden a hero or traitor? in what ways do frames on social media and legacy news differ in covering the incident of >edward snowden? utilizing the approach of semantic network analysis, the study found social media users associated snowden’s case with other whistle-blowers, bipartisan issues, and personal privacy issues, while professional journalists associated the snowden incident with issues of n>ational security and international relations. frames on social media portray edward snowden as a hero while the frames on legacy news make him a trai>tor. the study further identified media frames on social media and legacy news differ in two ways: word selection and word salience. in addition, the study discussed the challenges and opportunities of framing analysis in the context of social media.”

“The nsa’s illegal surveillance techniques are leaked to the public by oclass=”textannotation”>;3″ class=”textannotation”>ne of the agency’s employees, edward snowden, in the form of thousands of classified documents distributed to the press.”

“The media hoop-la about edward snowden has obscured a less flashy yet more vtation”>ital – and philosophically relevant – part of the story, namely the moral and political seriousness with which he acted to make the hitherto covert scope and scale of nsa surveillance public knowledge. here i argue th>at we should interpret snowden’s actions as meeting most of the demanding tests outlined in sophisticated political thinking about civil disobedience. like thoreau, gandhi, king and countless other (forgotten) grass-roots activists, snowden has in fact articulated a powerful defense of why he was morally obligated to engage in politically motivated law-breaking. he has also undertaken impressive efforts to explain how his actions are distinguishable from ordinary criminality, and why they need not cu</span>lminate in reckless lawlessness. in fact, his example can perhaps help us advance liberal and democratic ideas about civil disobedience. first, it highlights sound reasons why, pace the orthodox view, the acceptance of punishment by those engaging in civil disobedience should not be seen as a precondition of its legitimacy. second, snowden reminds us that ours is an era in which intensified globalization processes directly shape every feature of political existence. defenders of civil disobedience need to update their reflections accordingly.”