Edward Snowden
Cory amplifies 26×The most recognizable voice on mass surveillance and the case for strong encryption.
Edward Snowden is a former NSA and CIA contractor who in 2013 leaked classified documents revealing the scope of U.S. and allied mass-surveillance programs, prompting a global privacy debate. He has lived in Russia since 2013 and was granted Russian citizenship in 2022. He was president of the Freedom of the Press Foundation board (2016-2022) and remains on its board; he now writes the 'Continuing Ed' Substack and advocates on surveillance, privacy, and cryptography.
The strongest case
A government that secretly conducts bulk, warrantless surveillance of its own citizens has broken the constitutional bargain, and the public cannot consent to powers it is not told exist, so disclosing unconstitutional programs to journalists is a legitimate act of conscience that strengthens democratic self-government.
And against
Critics contend his disclosures went beyond domestic overreach and damaged legitimate foreign-intelligence operations, and that accepting refuge and citizenship from an authoritarian Russia undercuts his civil-liberties message and hands a propaganda win to a repressive regime.
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On the record
In June 2013 the U.S. charged Snowden with theft of government property and two counts under the Espionage Act, and revoked his passport. In a separate civil suit (United States v. Snowden, 2019-2020) a federal court found he breached CIA/NSA secrecy agreements and ordered proceeds from his memoir and paid speeches (over $5M) turned over to the government. Russia granted him citizenship in September 2022. [source]