Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American computer specialist who worked for the CIA and the NSA and leaked details of several top-secret United States and British government mass surveillance programs to the press.
Based on information Snowden leaked to The Guardian in May 2013 while employed at NSA contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, the British newspaper published a series of exposésthat revealed programs such as the interception of U.S. and European telephone metadataand the PRISM, XKeyscore, and Tempora Internet surveillance programs. Snowden's disclosures are said to rank among the most significant NSA security breaches in United States history.
On June 14, 2013, United States federal prosecutors charged Snowden with espionageand theft of government property. Snowden had left the United States prior to the publication of his disclosures, first to Hong Kong and then to Russia, where he received temporary asylum and now resides in an undisclosed location.
Snowden has been a subject of controversy: he has been variously called a hero, a whistleblower, a dissident, and a traitor. Snowden has defended his leaks as an effort "to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them." Some U.S. officials condemned his actions as having done "grave damage" to the U.S. intelligence capabilities while others, such as former president Jimmy Carter, have applauded his actions. Meanwhile, the media disclosures have renewed debates both inside and outside the United States over mass surveillance, government secrecy, and the balance between national security andinformation privacy.
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