In June 2013 former NSA contractor Edward Snowden set in motion a torrent of revelations of the NSA’s electronic surveillance capabilities and practices. Through 2013, news outlets and social media poured out wave after wave of articles detailing classified government programs with names like PRISM, MonsterMind, Bulk Collection, and Boundless Informant. The scope of the programs revealed was breathtaking. Internet companies and other world leaders publicly expressed outrage when documents showed that private communications had been compromised. This had immediate ripple effects in business, government, and our national security.

Three years later we’re gathering a slew of experts to reflect upon the effects of those revelations — the Snowden Effects.

The revelations have lead to a repositioning of global partnerships, a deeper conversation about the role of government, a thorough reexamination at our fundamental rights, liberties and principles, and a sober realization that the world may not be as safe a place as we would like it to be.

This 3-part series — presented by the Internet Education Foundation — focuses on the resultant changes put in motion by Edward Snowden’s revelations — rather than the man himself. The “Snowden Effect” series shines a light on three distinct but inter-related areas: government surveillance reform, de-cloudification and data localization, and commercial trust and transparency.