Researching Modern Day Government Overreach for 1984
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1984 by George Orwell
Lesson Plans by Kristy Littlehale
Published in 1949, shortly after the end of World War II and during the rise of Communist powers such as Russia and Korea, Orwell’s novel warns readers of important issues that become the novel’s key themes, including government overreach, propaganda, and the importance of free thought and speech.
Storyboard Description
NSA Scandal - Modern Government Overreach Comparison for 1984
Storyboard Text
- THE NSA SCANDAL 2013-2015
- Edward Snowden, a government contractor hired to work for the National Security Agency, comes across troubling documents, which he steals.
- On June 6, 2013, The Washington Post and The Guardian publish information on an NSA program “PRISM”, which provided direct access to the servers of major internet companies to collect anything, from emails to photos. The uproar is palpable.
- Snowden makes contact with journalists, one from The Guardian in the U.K., and one from The Washington Post. On June 5, 2013, The Guardian publishes the secret court order that reveals spying on all Verizon calls, even of innocent U.S. citizens.
- On June 30, 2013, The Guardian reveals that not only has the NSA been spying on regular Americans, but they’ve been spying on foreign embassies, and foreign government communications as well.
- Enter PIN
- On February 19, 2015, The Intercept reports that Great Britain’s program GCHQ and the NSA conspired to steal the encryption keys found in millions of SIM cards in cell phones.
- Congress passes the USA Freedom Act on June 2, 2015, attempting to end bulk data collection of calling records by the NSA. It’s the first time in 30 years that Congress approves a bill placing “restrictions and oversight” on the NSA’s surveillance powers.
- Snowden is granted asylum in Russia, ironically a nation with a terrible human rights’ record and very little freedom of the press. He is considered by many to be a hero, and by many to be a traitor. His actions have severely impacted the government’s clandestine operations, forcing the government to be more transparent.
Image Attributions
- 2013_07_020010 - Edward stoned (Snowden) (t3) - Gwydion M. Williams - (License Attribution )
- Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony (201111160014HQ) - NASA HQ PHOTO - (License Attribution, Non Commercial )
- National Security Agency Seal - DonkeyHotey - (License Attribution )
- NR4I4961bearbeitet - padeluun - (License Attribution )
- Server porn - Paul Hammond - (License Attribution )
- The 7th Annual Crunchies Awards on February 10, 2014 in San Francisco - TechCrunch - (License Attribution )
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