Edward Snowden

Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina) is a former United States intelligence contractor known for disclosing a large cache of classified National Security Agency documents in 2013. After a brief stint in the U.S. Army, Snowden worked in a technical support role for the CIA (2006-2009), including a posting in Geneva, Switzerland. He subsequently worked as a contractor for the NSA through Dell and Booz Allen Hamilton, taking a position at an NSA facility in Hawaii in March 2013.

The 2013 Disclosures

While working at the NSA's Hawaii facility, Snowden copied an estimated 9,000 to 10,000 classified documents. In May 2013 he flew to Hong Kong, where he met with journalist Glenn Greenwald, documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, and Guardian reporter Ewen MacAskill. Beginning June 5, 2013, The Guardian and The Washington Post published a series of articles based on the documents, first revealing bulk collection of Verizon phone metadata, then the PRISM program giving the NSA access to user data held by major technology companies. Snowden identified himself as the source on June 9, 2013.

Charges, Flight, and Asylum

On June 21, 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Snowden with theft of government property and two counts of violating the Espionage Act. Snowden left Hong Kong for Moscow, where he became stranded for about five weeks in an airport transit zone after his passport was cancelled. Russia subsequently granted him asylum, and he has resided there since 2013; in September 2022 Russian President Vladimir Putin granted him Russian citizenship. He has not returned to the United States and continues to face the 2013 federal charges.

Aftermath and Legacy

The disclosures prompted a global debate over the scope of government surveillance. In May 2015, a federal appeals court ruled that the NSA's bulk telephone metadata program exceeded what Congress had authorized; Congress subsequently passed the USA FREEDOM Act, ending the program. Journalists who reported on the leaked documents received the 2014 George Polk Award, and The Guardian and The Washington Post shared the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. From Russia, Snowden has continued to comment publicly on surveillance and digital-rights issues, publishing the memoir Permanent Record in 2019. Assessments of Snowden remain divided between characterizations as a national-security threat and as a whistleblower who exposed government overreach.

Timeline

• 1983-06-21Born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
• 2006Joins the CIA in a technical role.
• 2009Leaves the CIA and becomes an NSA contractor via Dell.
• 2013-05-20Flies to Hong Kong carrying copies of classified documents.
• 2013-06-05The Guardian publishes the first story based on Snowden's leaked documents.
• 2013-06-06The Guardian and Washington Post reveal the PRISM program.
• 2013-06-09Snowden publicly identifies himself as the source.
• 2013-06-21U.S. DOJ charges Snowden under the Espionage Act.
• 2013-08-01Russia grants Snowden temporary asylum.
• 2015-06Congress passes the USA FREEDOM Act, ending bulk telephone metadata collection.
• 2019-09-17Publishes his memoir, Permanent Record.
• 2022-09-26Russian President Vladimir Putin grants Snowden Russian citizenship.