This piece by GNI Independent Chair Mark Stephens originally appeared at Project Syndicate:
A year has passed since the American former intelligence contractor Edward J. Snowden began revealing the massive scope of Internet surveillance by the US National Security Agency. His disclosures have elicited public outrage and sharp rebukes from close US allies like Germany, upending rosy assumptions about how free and secure the Internet and telecommunications networks really are. Singlehandedly, Snowden has changed how people regard their phones, tablets, and laptops, and sparked a public debate about the protection of personal data. What his revelations have not done is bring about significant reforms.
Read the full op-ed at Project Syndicate, or read it in Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Portugese, Russian, or Spanish.