2013-06-20
Source: http://news.hkheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=242696§ion_name=wtt&kw=126
America a good guy or a bad guy for cyber-snooping around the world? Is US whistleblower Edward Snowden a hero or a traitor? Is China's hacking of America's computer systems the same as America's hacking of China's computer systems? These are weighty questions without easy answers. Each of us must decide for ourselves if the end justifies the means. The slang word snooping is similar to the word spying. To snoop or to spy (verb) means to secretly investigate the private affairs of others. A person who does this kind of work, like someone who works for the CIA, is called a spy (noun). The word cyber is a general word used in relation to computers and information technology. Cyber-spying (or cyber-snooping) means using the internet to spy.
T
he slang word whistleblower means a person who reveals wrongdoing, especially by the government, to the public. To hack into a computer means to break into or get access to a computer without permission? The word weighty means serious or important. The expression “the end justifies the means” means doing whatever is necessary, even doing something illegal, to achieve something that is good. For example, many people believe it is a violation of human rights for a government to torture terrorists to get information from them. But some people believe that if a government tortures a terrorist to get information that will prevent future terrorist attacks, then the end justifies the means.
The US says it cyber-snoops to prevent terrorism. It says there is a difference between hacking into computers to prevent terrorism and China's hacking of US computers to steal weapons designs and commercial secrets. But if the US violates the privacy of millions of people by hacking into computers or monitoring phone conversations, does the end justify the means? A mainlander was among the two people killed in the Boston Marathon terrorist attack. If the US had hacked into the computers of the two terrorists and therefore prevented the attack, would the end have justified the means? They are weighty questions. I am sure we will all have different opinions.
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美國監控全球網絡（cyber-snooping），到底是好人抑或壞人？美國告密者（whistleblower）愛德華斯諾登，是英雄抑或賣國賊？中國入侵（hacking）美國電腦系統，是否一如美國入侵（hacking）中國的電腦系統？這些都是非常沉重（weighty）的問題，不易解答。我們每一個都得自行決定，為求達到目的，是否就可不擇手段（the end justifies the means）？俚語snooping跟spying相似，to snoop或to spy（動詞）都是指暗地裏監察別人私事。做這種事的人，像是替美國中央情報局工作的人，就被稱為密探或間諜（spy，名詞）。Cyber這個字是與電腦或科技有關的統稱，Cyber-spying或cyber-snooping解作以電腦監控及偵察（spy）。
俚語whistleblower是指向公眾舉報惡行──尤其是政府罪行——的人。To hack into a computer即是在沒有許可的情況下，入侵或登入電腦。Weighty解作嚴肅或重要的。習語the end justifies the means，是指為求達成良好意願的目的，大可不擇手段，甚至要做違法的事。譬如，許多人認為政府嚴刑拷問恐怖份子以套取情報，是違反人權的；但也有些人認為，要是政府折磨恐怖份子所取得的情報，能防止將來的恐怖襲擊，那麼結果就足以合理化手段（the end justifies the means）。
美國表示其網絡監控（cyber-snoops）是為了預防恐怖主義。他們矢言，入侵（hacking）電腦防止恐怖主義，與中國入侵（hacking）美國電腦以竊取武器設計和商業秘密，是壓根兒不同的。但要是美國入侵（hacking）電腦或監控電話對話，侵犯了數以百萬計人民的私隱，那目的是否能合理化其手段（the end justify the means）？波士頓恐怖襲擊，兩名死者當中包括一名內地生。要是美國入侵了那兩名恐怖份子的電腦，因而預防了是次襲擊，結果又是否已然合理化了手段（the end have justified the means）？這些問題都相當嚴峻（weighty），相信人人的看法都不盡相同。mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧