Citizen Four- Extra Credit

I watched "Citizen Four" on November 29, 2014 at the new Bijou Arts Cinema located in Eugene, Oregon. In a nutshell this movie was about how "Citizen Four" aka Edward Snowden leaked highly confidential information about NSA programs that violates Americans privacy through the Patriot Act. He leaked this information to the public by contacting numerous reporters through unscripted emails (such as the one located in the photo) which lead to his interview and the documentary of the release of his story. This documentary was realistic because it showed every step (process by process) of what he went through to expose the NSA wrongdoings and the ramifications he faced by leaking that information.

The first thing that stood out to me was the real sense of paranoia that both the reporters and Snowden displayed throughout the film. Ed Snowden stated early in his interview what techniques the NSA would employ to track and monitor the reporters and him self.Once the NSA found out that someone was leaking information about them, they arrived at Snowden's girlfriends house and started asking questions and monitoring their house. The NSA even stopped Snowden's house payments that were direct deposited from his personal bank account. They even threatened his family for information about Snowden whereabouts. Snowden said he expected people he cared about to be harrassed by the government, but when he first heard that it began you could sense the fear taking over. 

The second thing that stood out which I was surprised to learn was that our government's intelligence community has the ability to operate our laptops, i pads, cell phones, and even bank accounts remotely through specific programs (a multitude of programs,which was released by Snowden to the reporters) made by the NSA. These programs record all of our communications such as through mobile devises without our approval.

"Citizen Four" was packed with information that would not only shock the average American citizen, but anyone who believes in the principles of free speech and the right to privacy. Snowden authenticated concerns people have had for years regarding government exploration into our private lives. I would recommend this movie to all Americans, so they can be informed about what our government is actually doing that we are not aware of. Big Brother is watching, So watch out!