From the IMDB storyline: “In January 2013, Laura Poitras started receiving anonymous encrypted e-mails from “CITIZENFOUR,” who claimed to have evidence of illegal covert surveillance programs run by the NSA in collaboration with other intelligence agencies worldwide. Five months later, she and reporters Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill flew to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with the man who turned out to be Edward Snowden. She brought her camera with her. The resulting film is history unfolding before our eyes.”
I consider it surprisingly brave that the normally rather conventional Academy has rewarded this movie with an Oscar in the category of Documentary Feature. For over a decade now, an American friend of mine has warned me about men in black taping onto everything they can gather from each single human being on earth. I always gave him my best look of disbelief in return not because I did not believe it was quite possible but because I have always felt that I have nothing to hide from the world, in terms of who I am, what do I think, and what do I stand for.
As a versed technology user, more and more, I have been not just noticing but in awe at the capacity for current applications to keep track of my preferences, past searches, and the exchangeable alignment of my data across the world wide web. Internet keeps tailoring to my needs on daily basis and attempting to make “convenient” decisions for me to the point of becoming somewhat annoying. All this at commercial level. I would love to be able to read what I can only imagine as an even more comprehensive profile on my persona from, let’s call it, an intelligence entity. Perhaps they could help me to understand… my whole me? Joking!
My friend’s worst nightmare has proven to be true. No doubt! To keep making excuses, justifying or denying it, is laughable. The system has found its own way of exposing the truth using the same available capacities to keep information secret. We have new terms like “going viral” to describe the action of making something known and available to everybody in what it seems like a race to beat those who want to control us.
These actions are just a much larger and overall context for what takes place in every day’s life. Organizations are now checking your personal websites to make decisions about you, to label you, even to hire and/or fire you based on your comments. More so, the roles we play in life are becoming a blur and it all can play both in our favor or against us. The initial intention of providing freedom of speech is losing its battle when we find ourselves having to refrain from expressing our real thoughts regardless of if the rest approves them or not. The fear of consequences is making of us politically correct hypocrites. Just as, for centuries, the fear of not being accepted and liked by others has made of us, gregarious but lost souls.
P.S.: If I have to compare between Chris Kyle, the well-regarded and acclaimed American Sniper, and Edward Snowden, the so-called “public enemy” whistle-blower, Snowden is, by far, the true hero. Why are our principles so upside-down?