Pitt had a front row seat last night for a conversation with the infamous Edward Snowden

Last night, Pitt Program Council put on a truly amazing event in which students could be present for a live web chat with the controversial Edward Snowden.

I was lucky enough to have a front row seat for this unique interaction and I learned a lot about the events surrounding this man’s charges and eventual exile.

When Edward Snowden turned on his web cam, it was so weird. He was there – a real person. Not some evil enigma, super hero – just a guy with crooked glasses and a unique relationship with the government.

He grew up in a family that made him believe he was going into government work without a second thought. He began this journey by joining the military – a short lived experience – and then began his career in government intelligence. This was where the true excitement began, and we all know how it ended: With Snowden stuck in Russia.

But here are some thing you might not know.

No part of him chose Russia – he was trapped there

On his way to Cuba, he went through Moscow airport and had his passport revoked before he could make his flight. He was stuck. He attempted to leave but was repeatedly denied entry by other countries. To put it simply, Snowden’s answer to the question “Why Russia?” was “Ask John Kerry, because it was his decision.”

He did not release a single piece of information

“I collected data that I knew would stand up in court as evidence against the NSA. I handed it over to the journalists under the condition that they would releases it only if it was going to help the U.S. citizens.

“Everything that was released was only able to be because the government believed releasing it would do no harm.” He defended this decision by saying he was convinced to come out, when every branch of government failed.

He has no regrets

“Of course, I want to come home, but there are some things that are worthy of exile.”

In this, he acknowledged that what he has done, whether right or wrong, was illegal.

But he followed that up with, “I would do it again every year for the rest of my life.” He has no regrets, but understands the alienation he has since received.

A map of the places being surveilled

The map showed places that were being surveilled. Red being the most surveilled, yellow medium, and light green the least.

“It’s unsettling that Russia was getting less surveillance than the US.” Unsettling to say the least”

Between the facts, Snowden preached a call to action, telling the audience, “If we are going to make progress it will be made in the face of resistance. This the challenge of our generation. This is not something to turn away from.”

“If we simply believe these things and do not act on them, well we will lose our seat at the table of government.”

He spoke with extreme charisma and was incredibly compelling.

Snowden said, “If we only knew what the government wanted us to, we wouldn’t know very much at all.” That said, it’s because of the government that public schools exist. The federal government implemented the common core standards with a vast majority of the states adopting them.

“The government lies. This was something that was hard for me to accept,” he continued. “If the government can lie to us, what implications does this have on our ability to vote?”

Whether you agree with his actions or not, his speech was mostly about defending human rights. He told no one to do the things he did, but instead gave the answer to the question.

“For someone with nothing to hide, why should we care about being surveilled? If you give up a right for an instant, it will be lost for a generation. Privacy is the fountainhead to all other rights, because privacy is the right to self.” And he is completely correct. Privacy allows us to use every other right that is given to us through the constitution, but the argument is whether or not the government can be trusted with all of that.

The government has told us that these secrets have been kept from the public in order to protect lives. Snowden’s argument is: “When we talk about collecting data with people without suspect simply because it’s easy, it’s cheap. We are talking about power. Surveillance isn’t about government safety. At its core it’s about control and influence.” He pointed to this site as proof of this.

Snowden only displayed proven facts like this one throughout his speech to back up his points, but these facts are not being contested, the opinion he contrived from them is. I believe everyone can agree that surveillance is a means of gaining power. Whether or not this power is being used to benefit the public or hurt the public is what’s up for debate.

What is undebatable is what Snowden has shown us: our government is watching.

“This is not science fiction, this is happening, right now.” Hopefully, Orwell has prepared us all enough, but Snowden reminded us, “Our government, like all governments, does not ask for permission before they break the law, and no law will ever jump off the page and protect you – It’s writing,” He looked to journalists to be the whistle blowers for society.

He ended his speech that was full of surprises, controversy, and passion, with a simple sentence that would be universally accepted if his name was not attached to it. A phrase that in any context around the world it remains relevant. One that I hope all of you take to heart in whatever way you see fit.

He said, “Let’s not complain about the times we live in… Let’s get ready.”