Edward Snowden | |
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 Snowden in 2013 | |
| Born | Edward Joseph Snowden June 21, 1983 |
| Citizenship | |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Computer security consultant |
| Employers |
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| Known for | Revealing classified U.S. Government surveillance programs; in exile in Russia since June 23, 2013 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2[3] |
| Relatives | Edward J. Barrett (grandfather) |
| Awards | Right Livelihood Award |
| Website | edwardsnowden |
| Signature | |
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 National Security Agency surveillance |
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Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American former NSA intelligence contractor and whistleblower[4] who leaked classified documents revealing the existence of global surveillance programs. He became a naturalized Russian citizen in 2022.
In 2013, while working as a government contractor, Snowden leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA). He was indicted for espionage.[5] His disclosures revealed numerous global surveillance programs, many run by the NSA and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance with the cooperation of telecommunication companies and European governments and prompted a cultural discussion about national security and individual privacy.
In 2013, Snowden was hired by an NSA contractor, Booz Allen Hamilton, after previous employment with Dell and the CIA.[6] Snowden says he gradually became disillusioned with the programs with which he was involved, and that he tried to raise his ethical concerns through internal channels but was ignored. On May 20, 2013, Snowden flew to Hong Kong after taking medical leave from his job at an NSA facility in Hawaii, and in early June he revealed thousands of classified NSA documents to journalists Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, Barton Gellman, and Ewen MacAskill. Snowden came to international attention after stories based on the material appeared in The Guardian, The Washington Post, and other publications.
On June 21, 2013, the United States Department of Justice unsealed charges against Snowden of two counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and theft of government property,[5] following which the Department of State revoked his passport.[7] Two days later, he flew into Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport, where Russian authorities observed the canceled passport, and he was restricted to the airport terminal for over one month. Russia later granted Snowden the right of asylum with an initial visa for residence for one year, which was repeatedly extended. In October 2020, he was granted permanent residency in Russia.[8] In September 2022, Snowden was granted Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin.[9][10]
A subject of controversy, Snowden has been variously praised and condemned for his leaks. Snowden has defended his actions as an effort "to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them".[11] His disclosures have fueled debates over mass surveillance, government secrecy, and the balance between national security and information privacy, something that he has said he intended to do in retrospective interviews.[12]
In early 2016, Snowden became the president of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, a San Francisco–based nonprofit organization that aims to protect journalists from hacking and government surveillance.[13] He also has a job at an unnamed Russian IT company.[14] In 2017, he married Lindsay Mills. On September 17, 2019, his memoir Permanent Record was published.[15] On September 2, 2020, a U.S. federal court ruled in United States v. Moalin that one of the U.S. intelligence's mass surveillance program exposed by Snowden was illegal and possibly unconstitutional.[16]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
wp citizenshipwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
poder citizenshipwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Snowden, Edward [@Snowden] (May 18, 2022). "With two kids under two, it feels like [...] for them" (Tweet). Retrieved June 6, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Snowden tells life story and why he leaked in new memoir". Associated Press News. September 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
wapochargeswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Burrough, Bryan; Ellison, Sarah; Andrews, Suzanna (April 23, 2014). "The Snowden Saga: A Shadowland of Secrets and Light". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
KerryPassportwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Ilyushina, Mary (October 22, 2020). "Edward Snowden gets permanent residency in Russia - lawyer". CNN. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ "Putin grants Russian citizenship to U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden". Reuters. September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- ^ "Edward Snowden swears allegiance to Russia and receives passport, lawyer says".
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
guardian-revealwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Full Interview: Edward Snowden On Trump, Privacy, And Threats To Democracy | The 11th Hour | MSNBC" (Interview). 2020.
- ^ Greenberg, Andy (February 2017). "Edward Snowden's New Job: Protecting Reporters From Spies". Wired. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- ^ Kelley, Michael B. (September 30, 2021). "Snowden flouts court ruling with paid speeches, Substack: 'He's above the law'". Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ McAskill, Ewan (September 13, 2019). "I was very much a person the most powerful government in the world wanted to go away". The Guardian. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ "U.S. court: Mass surveillance program exposed by Snowden was illegal". Reuters. September 2, 2020. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.