Here’s what American 8th graders think about high tech spying

News channel C - SPAN just announced the winner in itsStudentCam competition , where people in grades 6 - 8 produced curt news segments that answer the question , “ What ’s the most crucial issue the U.S. Congress should consider in 2014 ? ” Their answer ? Government spying .

The acquire documentary film ( above ) and the 2nd place winner ( below ) were both about NSA spy on U.S. citizen . This suggests that one of the formative political experience for hoi polloi coming of age in the early 21st C is going to be mass surveillance . The next dystopia that science fiction writer of the 20th 100 dreamed about has become this generation ’s reality .

The best part is that neither of these films accepts spying as “ normal , ” even though it ’s the realness that all of these movie maker have grown up with . rather , they are questioning whether it was right for the NSA to spy on domesticated communication . And they are trying to reckon out why it go on .

Here ’s what C - SPAN said about the winning documentary :

Peter Jasperse , Antonia Torfs - Leibman and Madeleine Hutchins , eighth graders at Eastern Middle School in Silver Spring , Md. , are national First Prize winners in the Middle School division . Peter , Antonia and Madeleine will share $ 3,000 for their First Prize infotainment , ‘ The NSA : The Lengths of America ’s Security , ’ about NSA surveillance . ”

The 2d seat winner is by middle schooler Ben Blum from San Rafael , CA , and it ’s called “ Data Obsession . ”

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