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Snowden's employer ] released a statement condemning his actions as "shocking" and "a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm".<ref name="booz-allen-statement">{{cite web|url=http://www.boozallen.com/media-center/press-releases/48399320/statement-reports-leaked-information-060913|title=Booz Allen Statement on Reports of Leaked Information|date=9 June 2013|accessdate=9 June 2013}}</ref> The statement says he had been with the firm for under three months. Snowden's employer ] released a statement condemning his actions as "shocking" and "a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm".<ref name="booz-allen-statement">{{cite web|url=http://www.boozallen.com/media-center/press-releases/48399320/statement-reports-leaked-information-060913|title=Booz Allen Statement on Reports of Leaked Information|date=9 June 2013|accessdate=9 June 2013}}</ref> The statement says he had been with the firm for under three months.

], who released the ] to '']'' in 1971, described Snowden as "a hero" and that he had "been waiting for him for 40 years".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/trevortimm/statuses/343820427208052736|title=Tweet by Trevor Timm|last=Trevor|first=Timm|date=9 June 2013|publisher=]|accessdate=9 June 2013}}</ref>


Shortly after Snowden released his identity, a petition was posted on the ] website, asking for "a full, free, and absolute pardon for any crimes has committed or may have committed related to blowing the whistle on secret NSA surveillance programs."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/snowden-nsa-leak-whistleblower-cia-204241311.html|title=NSA whistleblower revealed as Edward Snowden, 29-year-old ex-CIA employee|last=Stableford|first=Dylan|date=9 June 2013|work=]|accessdate=10 June 2013}}</ref> Shortly after Snowden released his identity, a petition was posted on the ] website, asking for "a full, free, and absolute pardon for any crimes has committed or may have committed related to blowing the whistle on secret NSA surveillance programs."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/snowden-nsa-leak-whistleblower-cia-204241311.html|title=NSA whistleblower revealed as Edward Snowden, 29-year-old ex-CIA employee|last=Stableford|first=Dylan|date=9 June 2013|work=]|accessdate=10 June 2013}}</ref>

Revision as of 00:38, 10 June 2013

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Edward Snowden
Front cover of the Guardian newspaper, 10 June 2013Snowden as seen on the cover of The Guardian, 10 June 2013
BornEdward Joseph Snowden
1984
Elizabeth City, North Carolina, United States
NationalityAmerican
OccupationSystem administrator
EmployerBooz Allen Hamilton
Known forPRISM whistleblower

Edward Joseph Snowden (born 1984) is an American technical contractor and a whistleblower who released classified material on the United States National Security Agency's PRISM surveillance program to The Guardian and The Washington Post. He is currently in Hong Kong.

Early life and career

Snowden was brought up in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, later moving with his family to Maryland where he studied computing at community college.

In 2003, Snowden enlisted in the United States Army. He was discharged after breaking both of his legs in a training accident. He then went to work as a security guard for a covert NSA facility at the University of Maryland. After that he went to the CIA, where he worked on IT security. In 2007 the CIA stationed him with diplomatic cover in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was responsible for maintaining computer network security. Leaving the CIA in 2009, he worked for a private contractor inside an NSA facility on a United States military base in Japan.

At the time of his departure from the US in May 2013, he had been working for defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton for less than three months, as a system administrator inside of the NSA in Hawaii. He described his life as "very comfortable", living with his girlfriend and earning a salary of "roughly US$200,000."

The Guardian describes Snowden as intensely passionate about the value of privacy; his laptop is adorned with stickers supporting internet freedom organizations including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Tor Project. Although he says he "believed in Obama's promises", he "voted for a third party" in the 2008 election. Political donation records indicate that he contributed to the primary campaign of Ron Paul.

Whistleblowing

In May 2013, Snowden was granted temporary leave from his position with Booz Allen Hamilton in Hawaii, on the premise of receiving treatment for his epilepsy. On May 20, he flew to Hong Kong and began living in a hotel room, from which he leaked documents and provided an interview to The Guardian.

Explaining his justification for the disclosure, Snowden stated that he "can't in good conscience allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building."

I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things … I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded. That is not something I am willing to support or live under.

— Edward Snowden, speaking to The Guardian in June 2013

Snowden's identity was made public by The Guardian and The Washington Post at his request, days after the leak. He explained his reasoning for forgoing anonymity: "I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong".

He has said that he has a "predisposition to seek asylum in a country with shared values," and that his ideal choice would be Iceland. The International Modern Media Institute, an Icelandic freedom of speech advocacy organisation, has issued a statement offering Snowden legal advice and assistance in gaining asylum.

Response

This article is about Edward Snowden personally. For response to the PRISM program itself, see PRISM (surveillance program).

The National Security Agency has requested a criminal probe into Snowden's actions from the United States Department of Justice. James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, said that his "reckless disclosures" have resulted in "significant misimpressions" in the media. Speaking before Snowden was named, chairman of the US Select Committee on Intelligence Mike Rogers said of the whistleblower: "I absolutely think they should be prosecuted".

Snowden's employer Booz Allen Hamilton released a statement condemning his actions as "shocking" and "a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm". The statement says he had been with the firm for under three months.

Shortly after Snowden released his identity, a petition was posted on the White House website, asking for "a full, free, and absolute pardon for any crimes has committed or may have committed related to blowing the whistle on secret NSA surveillance programs."

See also

References

  1. Smith, Matt (9 June 2013). "NSA leaker comes forward, warns of agency's 'existential threat'". CNN. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  2. Calderone, Michael (7 June 2013). "Washington Post Began PRISM Story Three Weeks Ago, Heard Guardian's 'Footsteps'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  3. ^ Gellman, Barton; Blake, Aaron; Miller, Greg (9 June 2013). "Edward Snowden identified as source of NSA leaks". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  4. ^ Greenwald, Glenn; MacAskill, Ewen; Poitras, Laura (9 June 2013). Written at Hong Kong. "Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance revelations". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  5. ^ "Booz Allen Statement on Reports of Leaked Information". 9 June 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  6. Borger, Julian (9 June 2013). "Booz Allen Hamilton: Edward Snowden's US contracting firm". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 2003-06-09. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  7. ^ MacAskill, Ewen (9 June 2013). "NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden: 'I do not expect to see home again'". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  8. Zara, Christopher (9 June 2013). "NSA Whistleblower Revealed: Edward Snowden Donated $500 To Ron Paul's 2012 Presidential Campaign: Does NSA Whistleblower Have Libertarian Leanings?". International Business Times. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  9. "Man claiming to be NSA whistleblower comes forward". CBS News. 9 June 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  10. "Statement regarding involvement of IMMI in Edward Snowden asylum request". Reykjavík, Iceland: International Modern Media Institute. 9 June 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  11. Gardner, Timothy; Hosenball, Mark (9 June 2013). "Spy agency seeks criminal probe into leaks". Reuters. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  12. Delawala, Imtiyaz (9 June 2013). "Guardian Reporter Glenn Greenwald Blasts Calls for Leak Prosecutions". ABC News. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  13. Stableford, Dylan (9 June 2013). "NSA whistleblower revealed as Edward Snowden, 29-year-old ex-CIA employee". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
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