There is a fine line between security and privacy in free societies.
This year, a bespectacled, 29-year-old US intelligence contractor in a hotel room in Hong Kong showed what happens when the line is crossed.
Edward Snowden's leaks, which began to come out in British and US newspapers in June, quickly dwarfed the Wikileaks scandal of 2010.
They did not come out of nowhere.
The level of concern on Big Brother snooping was already on show in January.
When EUo...
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Already a member? Login hereNikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.
Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.