What do you think of NSA leaker Edward Snowden? Is he a hero or a traitor? #NSA

He is 29. He begged for a job and got it through a contractor company. Now he thinks that he is better than two Presidents, many vice-Presidents, many Secretaries of State, many Secretaries of Defence, both wings of the Congress which have authorised NSA to collect data and many judges who periodically supervise the data collection. He is a perverted and misguided human being who deserves to be caught and punished and punished severely.

What the government did was right and wrong. It helped save lives, whether they tell us they saved us or not. So what if someone listed in to my dirty phone chat? Did they go public and expose? No! Do they care after listening to me? No! The government should have told the public what they we're doing though, but sometimes, you need to snoop in order to catch your children in action.

Was Snowden wrong for releasing this information? No, but he did it the wrong way and he knows it, which is why he ran off. If he is innocent, the people would protect him from any unfair treatment. He knows what he did was wrong, just like a child doing something bad and knows it.

All in all, I'm glad I know what the government is doing and I hope this dude is caught as you can't go gunho like that in life as it may have a positive effect, but could bring a whole lot of bad things too!

He is a hero. Anyone who exposes the lies that presidents, the military, the press and government officials constantly tell us is a hero.

Snowden has ruined his life by becoming a traitor. From his statements he really does not sound like a patriotic American, but a fellow against our country. He belongs any where else until found and prosecuted in America for what he has done. What a shame, when others are so happy to be in our country to do all they can to be the best that they can be.

He is, of course, an American traitor, unappreciative arrogant. He should be trialed in the US and deported to China after he pays his dues.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

It is not Edward Snowdon who is on trial for "eavesdropping" as he merely leaked the surveillance information he had obtained. For which he admittedly is guilty as charged. It is the United States of America that are on trial for eavesdropping on its citizens on a grand scale.

“Until they became conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.” 
? George Orwell, 1984

Snowden hides in China of all places and discloses Government secrets and now he's a "Hero"? We should give the Benedict Arnold relatives a public apology. Why are you so afraid that the government is spying on you? I've rather have the government going through my trash than having Putin or Kim or Lee. Fact: you can't take the fear out of fearful people, you will only intensify it. Live-Strong.

His actions are definitely going to make the U.S hurt & with that all Americans will suffer so I am not going to call him a hero. However, I have become sick of the hubris the U.S government has exhibited towards privacy & freedoms in the name of the war on terror. Terms like secret courts & places like Guantanamo strikes me as extremely un-American. Tapping into personal information of millions Americans is the icing that makes the current U.S system look Orwellian so I am glad this came out. I hope there is something akin to the Frank Church committees to curtail these abuses someday soon but Snowden is something other than a hero.

A crime has been committed. And its by Snowden. He stole classified documents. He broke his pledge to maintain secrecy. He betrayed his country and family to run away to red china for profit. He should face the gallows.