Whether Edward Snowden is a “hero” is up for debate, but what the NSA PRISM whistleblower did achieve is providing evidence of something many have suspected—that the US government is mining valuable data on the Internet.

Big data analysis is nothing new—companies who provide free internet services have been doing this for years. Why did you think that Twitter has no advertising but manage to get so much venture capital investments? It is because it is very easy for them to analyse decode trending opinions on the web.

Google’s company tagline has always been “Don’t be evil”—mostly because the same technology that can be used for good can be used for evil. Mint.com uses big data to track consumer spending and financial status. Biomedical researchers can use big data to track virus outbreaks. The United States government could certainly use big data to track terrorist activities — but the real question is if they whether or not they would utilise the data they mine for other purposes too.

Also amongst Snowden's revelations, which have enraged many in Hong Kong, happens to be evidence of the US Government’s active hacking of local universities and businesses. Hacking for personal gain is definitely illegal. When the US blamed China for cyber attacks, they utilised their influence over the 'international' media to paint an ugly picture of China, but their accusation simply shows hypocrisy in the country’s own politics. And this fact has provided ample ammunition for political activists world wide.

1. SML Data

+ Date: 2013-06-15T15:42:31+0800 + Dimensions: 5184 x 3456 + Exposure: 1/250 sec at f/5.0 + Focal Length: 190 mm + ISO: 800 + Camera: Canon EOS 7D + Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM + GPS: 22°16'43" N 114°9'39" E + Location: 香港中環花園道 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong + Workflow: Lightroom 4 + Serial: SML.20130615.7D.42298 + Series: SnowdenHK: 香港聲援斯諾登遊行 Hong Kong Rally to Support Snowden, 新聞攝影 Photojournalism

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Creative Commons (CCBY) See-ming Lee 李思明 / SML Photography / SML Universe Limited

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