After an ex-CIA employee and former intelligence contractor, Edward Snowden, leaked to two newspapers last week that the US National Security Agency has a top secret program that collects and analyzes data from Internet users around the world, a storm of outrage has gathered and continues to blow this week.

While US intelligence authorities insist that the data collection has saved the lives of US citizens by helping thwart terror plots, many people have condemned the program, as the operation, which involves the collection of some 1 billion records a day, constitutes an infringement of civil rights.

Whether Snowden should be praised or condemned, the ongoing public debate sparked by his leaks is worthwhile if it can help both the American people and the US government find a better balance between public safety and an individual's right to privacy.