1. The Guardian Edward Snowden is a very modern spy - neither gun-blazingly dashing nor cat-strokingly sinister. He is young, tech-savvy, articulate and intensely interested in human rights. His work did not involve high-speed car chases or elaborate gadgets - just a desk and a computer. There are many people like him, and they are, on his account, potentially frightening figures … And now he has gone and blown it open - literally … It is certain the US government will pursue Snowden to the ends of the earth - appropriately, in his case, since he has taken himself off to Hong Kong … But it is not, we hope, ridiculous to suggest that both White House and Congress take an intense interest in what Snowden has to say. London 2. The Washington Post It's hard to doubt Edward Snowden's sincerity … He has spoken passionately about what he sees as an invasive government data-collection apparatus. Though he fled to Hong Kong, he asserted that he could have tried to defect to a hostile government if he meant to harm the US or merely wanted to sell out. Instead, he appears determined to prompt a discussion about the privacy US citizens are sacrificing in the name of security. On the last score, he has succeeded … The slides he released put the meat of real-world detail on the dry bones of the anti-terrorism statutes Congress has passed. … If there is a scandal, it is that a government contractor of Snowden's stature had access to highly classified material. Washington 3. China Daily While US intelligence authorities insist that the data collection has saved the lives of US citizens by helping thwart terror plots, many people have condemned the program, involving the collection of some 1 billion records a day, that constitutes an infringement of civil rights. Whether Edward Snowden should be praised or condemned, the public debate sparked by his leaks is worthwhile if it can help both the American people and the US government find a better balance between public safety and an individual's right to privacy … The Obama administration needs to convince the American people as well as global internet users that the spying is a must and helps to safeguard public safety from clear and present dangers. Beijing
