In the middle of the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards, the master of ceremonies had an odd request for everyone in the audience. She asked us all to turn off our Wi-Fi in order to accommodate the next guest on stage. Quickly, we realized why we had been asked to disconnect ourselves from the facilities’ internet. A few moments later, Edward Snowden suddenly appeared in robot form. His avatar rolled across the stage and began engaging with the audience. Snowden was joined by an award-winner, Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, who has been representing Snowden.

This awards ceremony had me on the edge of my seat, as I had already become misty-eyed after hearing so many larger-than-life personalities accept their awards. Globally-recognizable leaders told their against-all-odds stories of changing the trajectory of humanity. Especially touching was Dr. Richard Leakey’s story, he’s the man who has spent his entire life fighting poachers in Kenya. The number of inspiring figures before and after Snowden’s appearance was overwhelming.

As I got over the shock that Snowden was in fact present in the room in some capacity, I began to listen to his words. Snowden, despite his lack of human presence in the auditorium made a huge impression on the audience. His eloquence and brilliance came through his robotic substitute from half a world away. The man who has been branded the modern day Benedict Arnold was incredibly human, decidedly American, and apparently homesick for his homeland–a place he may never be able to return to.

By the time I exited the auditorium, I came to understand what this awards ceremony was all about. These leaders confronted the ugly realities present in modern day humanity and worked to change them. From mass incarceration in America to illegal poaching in Africa, these awardees worked diligently to expose the naked truth about horrific problems we’ve ignored for far too long.

Many argue that Snowden was America’s great revealer of ugly truths, as he exposed the mass surveillance programs that many say are at odds with our constitutional rights. On the other hand, his theft of classified information and subsequent escape are clearly illegal. No one should be able to walk away scot-free after releasing such sensitive information that could compromise our national security.

While seeing Snowden speak provided me with no clarity on what should be done if he decides to return home from exile, it was certainly a poignant reminder of the policy dilemmas we face as a technologically-advanced society. Clearly, Snowden’s final fate is one that has yet to be fully resolved, but he remains the living example of a person who can be a hero to some and a villain to others.

It is painfully evident that our technological advances pit privacy and security against one another, and few people know how to practically accommodate these two competing concerns in public policy. Until we find an appropriate balance between privacy and security, Snowden will continue to be emblematic of a society-wide conversation about the appropriate role of government that remains unresolved.