How Americans have viewed government surveillance and privacy since Snowden leaks

In June 2013, news organizations broke stories about federal government surveillance of phone calls and electronic communications of US and foreign citizens, based on classified documents leaked by then-National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. Here are some key findings about Americans’ views of government information-gathering and surveillance, drawn from Pew Research Center surveys since the NSA revelations:

1. Americans were divided about the impact of the leaks immediately following Snowden’s disclosures, but a majority said the government should prosecute the leaker. 
2. Americans became somewhat more disapproving of the government surveillance program itself in the ensuing months, even after then-President Barack Obama outlined changes to NSA data collection. 
3. Disclosures about government surveillance prompted some Americans to change the way they use technology.
4. Americans broadly found it acceptable for the government to monitor certain people, but not US citizens.
5. About half of Americans (52%) expressed worry about surveillance programs in 2014 and 2015, but they had more muted concerns about surveillance of their own data. 
6. The vast majority of Americans (93%) said that being in control of who can get information about them is important.
7. Some 49% said in 2016 that they were not confident in the federal government’s ability to protect their data. 
8. Roughly half of Americans (49%) said their personal data were less secure compared with five years prior.