This movie is based on real events. It is not a documentary, but a biographical thriller.
The movie opens in 2013 in Hong Kong. Edward Snowden is meeting a hotel with reporters and a documentary filmmaker. He is giving the reporter a memory chip with lots of secret information from the United States National Security Agency (NSA), America’s top spy department. He wants a newspaper, The Guardian, to publish his story, but he is afraid of the US government.
The movie then jumps back in time to explain Snowden’s story:
- After 911, Snowden joined the Army, but had to quit because of injury.
- Next, he joined the CIA and, because he was a super expert in computers, joined their secret IT department to fight terrorism.
- Around this time, he fell in love with a woman who was against the Iraq war. (In contrast, Snowden was very “patriotic” (愛国心が強い, 애국, 爱国, දේශප්රේමී).
- His first assignment was working in Switzerland where he learned about a US government spy program called “x-keystroke” that collects all information about everybody. It also has the ability to secretly turn on computer cameras without the light showing. He didn’t like to participate in such a program, so he quit the CIA.
- He was still patriotic, though, and wanted to fight terrorism. He joined the NSA as a computer expert. He went to work in Japan, and found out about another secret US program to spy on world leaders. Also, the US government had developed “malware” (computer virus) that could attack Japan’s infrastructure, including turning off all the electricity. The purpose of this program was not to fight terrorism, but to make sure that the US could control every country. This made him very stressed out.
- His girlfriend thought he was becoming “paranoid” (ව්යාකූල, 偏执狂, 妄想, 편집증) so they had a big fight and she left him. He quit the NSA and went back home.
- The NSA still wanted him to work for them, so they hired him as a “consultant”, a person who works for another company but helps the government. His NSA boss wanted him to come to Hawaii to fight against Chinese government hackers…
After we watch the second part of this movie, please consider if Snowden is a hero or a criminal. Why do you think so? Please write a short answer, no more than 50 words. Leave your answer in the reply below.
インクス 
I think Snowden is more of a hero. The nation should guarantee the freedom of its people. But Snowden’s accusations have alarmed those who were being watched every moment without knowing anything, and have helped them act for real freedom. If this is a crime, it seems like everyone should live like they live in jail for the rest of their lives.
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Snowden is a hero. People know that the state is monitoring individual lives. However, it is indifferent because it is impossible or does not cause great damage to one’s life because it is not known more deeply about the nation’s invasion of privacy. Snowden, on the other hand, knows the seriousness of the nation’s invasion of privacy and hopes to step up and reveal the We need someone who is suspicious enough to call it paranoia and who can act on it. Even if monitoring the public is for safety reasons, it is wrong, so it is necessary to raise questions in order to think of other ways.
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I think he is a justice criminal. We all know that he did is illegal but he would rather sacrifice his freedom than protect people privacy right. Even though the government want to arrest him. But at the end, he becomes a hero in people’s eyes. I admire his intelligence and even his courage that didn’t afraid government.
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I think Snoden is, if anything, a criminal .
Because his behaviors were all legitimate he thinks like a hero. But there is a proverb.”The law does not judge bad things, Those who violate the law are judged.” According to the passage, I think he is a criminal and should be judged. I think sometimes humans must throw away a sense of justice each individual has.
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I don’t think he’s a criminal.
He had no obligation to tell people the scary truth. This would have been his uphill battle to stop America’s ambition to dictatorship the world through intelligence control. He knew the aftermath of this choice, the pain and suffering that he and his neighbors would suffer. But I could see how great his mind was that he could not ignore it and hide it. That’s why I think the U.S. regime that trampled on our human rights is more of a criminal and a hero who fought for us.
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Main character s life. He is very s umart. I am afraid of Americans technology. All our life are watched for American.
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I think he is a hero. His acttion was courageous. Our information should be protected and not monitored by the government and not be ruled.He told this fact.Then American people’s information became free by his acttion.This is the reason why he is a hero.
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Snowden risked his life to disclose information, and I think his actions must have inspired knowledge, conscience and patriotism that would give many people in ordinary citizens, Congress and the government the courage to match him. Public pressure is placed on Congress to form an investigative panel over Snowden’s revelations, and if others join the trend, there is a possibility that the civil rights protection system will recover as intelligence federations like the NSA are subject to substantial oversight and regulation. Snowden noticed the true colors of the NSA surveillance program, and immediately informed the public of these dangerous and unconstitutional activities by the NSA. A full-scale invasion of the privacy of U.S. and foreign citizens does not contribute to U.S. national security. Rather, the very peace and freedom we are trying to protect now are at risk.
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It is difficult question. I think it is good things that he reveals sensive information that is American lies. But It is hard to say that I agree. So I think he is not a hero. He is just a criminal in American. I think it may be only now that he is the criminal.
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I think he is a hero. He might have done bad things in America as its law, but he brought the freedom of the internet all over the world. Also, he accused the NSA at the risk of his life. That`s wonderful things. And people should think seriously about organizations on the internet. For war? or for safety?
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I take him as a hero even though the government of United States want to punish him.He’s hero because he was brave that he published the hidden information and let the people think whether the privacy should be monitored or not.
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I think he’s a hero because he protected the nation from government. If he didn’t do any action they face more difficult situation for privacy protection.In addition I also think we need defined rules for privacy and control condition from government. The same situation will keep many times unless we make new rules .
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I think snowden is hero. so snowden got out very important data of NSAs stain. he gave to argument topic of plivate data handling and stcking. in democracy society , goverments action can check alwais by people. so this topicis is big breach of democracy
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I think he is a hero. He gave us the chance to think over what government do and criticize for it. I am sure that you wouldn’t so mind about the right of privacy if this doesn’t be happened. I suppose we should consider his act.
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