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Do you feel Edward Snowden is a hero or a traitor? Lawyers.com Editorial Director Betsy Kim takes that question to the streets in this video report. People join Lawyers.com in the national conversation about the National Security Agency's PRISM program, and the appropriate balance between security and privacy. In addition to the lawsuits reported by Lawyers.com, this report shows people expressing a broad spectrum of diverse opinions. "I think that I have become more cautious, more self-aware, perhaps even more afraid, unfortunately," says Clara Irazabal. "I feel more safer and I'm willing to sacrifice what I believe to be very little intrusion. And as a citizen here, if you're doing nothing wrong, you don't have anything to worry about," says Tom Mendez. Snowden, an NSA contractor, leaked classified documents to The Washington Post and The Guardian. He claimed PRISM allows collection of information from the servers of nine popular Internet providers including Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) protects private companies who cooperate with the government's intelligence gathering from lawsuits. "I feel people who are doing things like that and are guilty of things like that, of course, they should be mindful. But I'm not worried because we're good people," says Danica Chunasamy. However, Ruby Simon says, "The broader picture of sort of like why would they even be monitoring that kind of information in the first place does concern me." The government says FISA orders only target non-Americans "reasonably believed to be located outside the United State." On CNN, President Obama assured Americans "No one is listening to your phone calls." But details of millions of calls, emails, text chats, and online communications are collected. The government says it's not looking at the data, only the phone calls if someone is suspected of terrorist involvement. Then a judge authorizes monitoring the communications. "The Snowden controversy just confirms everything I think that has been out there. I'm not really too worried about it. With everything so digital these days and people, at least with the younger generation, volunteering so much information online, you know, everything's out there," says Justin Carter. In a Quinnipiac University poll, 55% called Snowden a "whistleblower" compared to 34% who labeled him a "traitor." Similarly, in a Lawyers.com poll, 68.1% said he was a hero for uncovering governmental wrongdoing, compared to 31.9% who voted he should be prosecuted as a criminal. Whether you agree with and trust the current administration or accuse it of overreaching, the disagreement remains. Let us know your views in the comments below. Are such powerful surveillance capabilities needed for security or can they all too easily be abused?

If you're worried about the government or other third parties accessing your electronic communications, watch Lawyers.com Editorial Director Betsy Kim's video report on this free software, called Dispatch. You can find it in the Google or Apple app stores by typing in "Dispatch Reporter." Columbia Graduate School of Journalism Assistant Professor Susan McGregor and Columbia University student researchers Mathias Lecuyer and Madeline Ross are working on further developing this software. "Dispatch is a mobile application that provides secure, encrypted, authenticated communication and publishing for journalists and everyone," says Susan. After downloading the software, you choose an ID that is not tied to any of your known electronic identities, such as email, Facebook or Twitter. This way you can preserve your anonymity. Dispatch then assigns you a QR code. You scan your contacts' QR codes. No one but the users know the senders' or receivers' identities. Your message is fully encrypted, so no one can read it while it's transmitted. Once the receiver gets your message, it's deleted off the server. However your message stays on your personal handheld device until you delete it. Susan McGregor Susan explains that the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 has not kept up with privacy concerns with developing technology. For example, emails more than 180 days are considered "abandoned" and can be obtained from your service provider with a subpoena. That includes more than just the metadata but the actual content of your messages. Madeline particularly appreciates the software's ability also to immediately publish onto a Tumblr blog. This helps journalists in danger zones ensure their stories won't be confiscated or destroyed but can quickly become public. Mathias is not worried that this software will be abused by just say, potential terrorists. He believes malicious users already have tools to get around interception. Mathias also appreciates how his work helps protect the right to privacy. "The founding fathers realized that giving freedom of expression and privacy was doing more good to the overall society," he says.

Did you know big brother can watch you via your cell phone? Larry Bodine, Editor-in-Chief of Lawyers.com, offers some practical tips on how to protect your privacy.

Are your privacy rights being compromised in the name of law and order? Lawyers.com Editorial Director Betsy Kim provides today's Newsbreak, a round-up of cases and laws that could impact your Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure. The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing a case on whether police need a search warrant for a blood sample from a DUI suspect. Is the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure under these circumstances outweighed by the need to rid the roads of drunk drivers? The high court is also looking at when law enforcement can use drug-sniffing dogs at the front doors of people's houses. Finally, find out if the government needs a search warrant to read your stored emails and electronic communications. Our Newsbreak gives you the latest development in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. Follow us on Lawyers.com where we'll keep you informed on all of your privacy concerns and the latest legal news you can use.

Larry Bodine, editor-in-chief of Lawyers.com, reports this is America, one nation under surveillance. Many of you have heard about government spying on U.S. citizens, but aren't worried about it, because you're not doing anything wrong. At least not yet. A lot of us start our day by checking our email and visiting websites in the morning. Whom you contact and where you visit is all monitored by the National Security Agency. No search warrant is required. When you call someone on a landline, both phone numbers and the time are recorded, but you may be cool with that. It may not bother you when you sending a friend a text to meet them for coffee. Whom and when you text is also monitored. As you drive to work or to shop, police license plate readers keep track of where you go and when you were there. It's possible to construct a complete map of where you travel -- before you've done something wrong. Some say that the art of letter writing is dead, but the Post Office doesn't think so. Computers take a photograph of every piece of paper mail. When you buy something with a credit card, a computer record is made of your exact location and what you bought. This is freely available to the authorities as a business record. On a beautiful day it's great to walk down the street. You may think you're doing nothing wrong, but security cameras record proof you were there, just in case. There's also round-the-clock orbital surveillance from outer space that can pick out individual people. And thanks to the GPS in your cell phone, the authorities know whether you've been to bar, or a mosque, or a gun range, or a political office. Again, no search warrant is necessary -- except in New Jersey. You may think you're doing nothing wrong. But a nasty neighbor, a business competitor or an angry co-worker might see you differently. When that happens you'll wish that the Fourth Amendment right to be free of unreasonable searches was enforced better. And like the song says: Every breath you take Every move you make Every bond you break Every step you take I'll be watching you For more information on your privacy rights, check out Lawyers.com.