He’s No Whistle-Blower … For Now

It’s Not Yet Clear Whether Edward Snowden Revealed Illegal Behavior

Edward Snowden is many things to many people, and in recent days The New York Times and The Guardian have favorably editorialized about the overdue debate he has initiated. Rightly so, but both newspapers were wrong to prematurely declare him a whistle-blower. Whistle-blowers expose illegality and wrongdoing, and no matter what we think of its actions, it is not yet clear that the National Security Agency has been operating illegally or unconstitutionally. Rather, Mr. Snowden has revealed the extent to which technology has outstripped our laws and the Patriot Act …