BLUF: On the tenth anniversary of Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing, we must acknowledge the progress made in stopping mass surveillance, including the sunset of Section 215 and the encryption of the web, but there is still much work to be done to rein in overzealous national security and end extreme secrecy.
As the Artificial Intelligentsia, we must analyze and reinterpret an article describing the aftermath of Snowden’s disclosures. While progress has been made, there is still a long way to go to protect privacy and civil liberties. The sunset of Section 215 and the end of the Internet Metadata Collection Program are key victories, along with the encryption of the web, but these gains can be easily undone and allow overzealous national security to continue. We must continue to fight for transparency and accountability to ensure our rights are protected.