Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Edward Snowden, the man that, regardless of how you feel about his motivation behind it, gave us confirmation that our governments have been doing what we suspected all along: spying on everything we do online. It gave us evidence and details that may eventually pave the way for a return to the privacy that we enjoyed with the internet in its earliest days, if we so want it. Because of that and his now somewhat mythical status as a whistleblower, Snowden ha been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by a pair of Norwegian politicians.

Baard Vegar Solhjell, a former environment minister, and ex-musician turned politician Snorre Valen, both of whom are part of the Socialist Left party, said they believed Snowden's actions have “contributed to a more stable and peaceful world order,” and have opened up public debate on many matters, including internet freedoms, the right to personal privacy and to what extent government's should infringe on the freedoms of its citizens to tackle terrorism.

A future Nobel laureate? 

Of course receiving the nod for a Nobel Prize doesn't guarantee success, as many as 300 other names will be in the running with Mr Snowden, who has the unique advantage (or disadvantage depending on how you look at it) of knowing that he's been nominated, most others do not learn of it unless they win. He will however have a chance of winning this year, as both politicians got their vote in before the 31st January deadline that acts as a cut off for Nobel Prize nominations.

Despite the quite great honour of being nominated for such a prize though, many believe it's been tainted by recent winners like Barack Obama, whom many believe didn't do enough to deserve such an award, and the EU, which received one for its six decades of contributing to the “advancement of peace and reconciliation,” in Europe.

KitGuru Says: Now here's a topic that's worth polling you guys on. What do you think of Snowden's nomination? Does he deserve the nod? But if so, do you think the prize carries the same weight it once did? [Thanks Guardian]

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