Edward Snowden stopped by TED conference in Vancouver, 2014
“Edward Snowden lay in the backseat of my Ford Escape, hidden from view and temporarily unconscious, as I drove him to the Whitney Museum early that morning to meet art-world friends,” writes journalist Andrew Rice of New York Magazine. He spent some time with Snowden, driving him to art exhibitions, technology conferences and television shows.
For one of the FBI's most wanted men, Snowden lives a surprisingly free and busy life, speaking in public and giving interviews. A former special agent and hacker has found a great life hack: he moves around the world in the body of a robot connected to the Internet.
Snowden is not at all bothered by the fact that his body is physically locked somewhere in Russia. Safely hidden from American intelligence agencies. Consciousness has temporarily “moved” into a mobile robot for teleconferencing, model BeamPro, and the robot cannot be arrested. More precisely, he can be arrested, but then Edward Snowden will “move” into another robot and continue speaking via live video conference and tweeting. That is, this will not change anything. In the era of modern communications, it doesn’t matter where your body is.
Snowboat with safety experts at Princeton University. Photo: Courtesy of Surveillance Workshop
The actions of his ward are constantly monitored by lawyer Ben Wizner from the American Civil Liberties Union. For example, in April 2016, he observed the public flogging that Edward Snowden carried out in live CNN to journalist Fareed Zakaria, who defended the desire of the US authorities to gain access to any encrypted digital information by court order.
After this, Snowden, in the body of a robot, showed up at the Disruptive Innovation Awards conference, where he was greeted with thunderous applause.
Edward rode up to the microphone with a grin and made a speech (with slight lags), then answered questions and carefully left the stage.
The BeamPro robot is a commercial model produced by Suitable Technologies. The so-called Smart Presence System, which costs about $14,000, is designed to provide more realistic teleconferencing where one or more participants are not physically in the room.
Snowden's avatar (unofficially called Snowbot) lives in the New York office of the American Civil Liberties Union, in his office he holds meetings and receives guests, and sometimes goes to conferences or important meetings.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin poses for a photo with Snowbot. Photo: Chris Anderson
For Snowden, this technology has a specific practical meaning - it is much more convenient to ensure your “presence” at public events and communicate with interlocutors almost live. After a few minutes of conversation, you already forget that this is a robot in front of you. "There's always a bit of confusion at first, when everyone is admiring and looking on with curiosity," he says. But then this barrier disappears. People begin to communicate with Snowbot as an ordinary person, as if Edward himself was really next to them.
Snowbot speaks with technology entrepreneur Peter Diamandis at the 2016 CES conference in Las Vegas. Photo: Done Clark for Wall Street Journal
There is also a symbolic role here: this is a clear demonstration that no authorities or super-powerful intelligence agencies are able to impose their will in the modern era of the Internet. It is impossible to “block” a person, it is impossible to isolate him from the outside world and prohibit communication. Not those times. Now the Internet is everywhere - and it gives people unlimited freedom.
(It should be noted that there is no Internet in some places, and Snowbot’s ability to move is also limited. Snowden himself jokes about this: he says that people have nothing to fear from robots as long as we have stairs and Wi-Fi is not accepted in elevators) .
Snowbot is greeted with applause at events. This is also a demonstration that the American people - at least the tech elite - support Edward and his action, even if the official authorities call it “treason.”
At the New York Whitney Gallery, Snowden's avatar visited a multimedia exhibition by Laura Poitras, director of the documentary Citizenfour about Edward Snowden. For her work, Laura Poitras received a Pulitzer Prize and an Oscar - further proof of the importance of the mission that Snowden dared to undertake.
The exhibition at the Whitney Gallery is called Astro Noise, after the name of the encrypted file of documents that Edward Snowden carried on a flash drive from a secret NSA computer center in Hawaii.
Snowboat at the Astro Noise exhibition. Photo: Henrik Moltke
From his cramped Russian apartment, Edward Snowden can remotely control his New York avatar via computer. The robot moves and maneuvers nimbly, turning to face the person it is talking to.
Sometimes you need help. At the exhibition Astro Noise We arranged a personal tour for Snowbot. When he was shown unusually placed parts of the gallery—for example, the night sky over Yemen from which CIA killer drones had flown in, or video footage of a drone shooting civilians on a screen—the assistants turned or tilted Snowbot so he could take a closer look. Edward thanked him for his help.
Surprisingly, Edward Snowden is now hiding in a secret hideout somewhere in Russia (most likely in Moscow). He can't take a walk in the park outside, but at the same time his avatar in New York drives around freely anywhere, infuriating former bosses from US intelligence. Although they no longer joke about putting Edward Snowden on a drone strike list, as former CIA Director Michael Hayden joked in 2013. But they still say unequivocally that Edward caused real harm to the United States of America when he revealed specific technical details of secret mass surveillance programs, secret diplomatic agreements and specific targets of US foreign intelligence surveillance.
Edward Snowden and his robot have become real people's favorites in the United States. He is considered a hero. He exposes dangerous government mass surveillance programs that threaten people's civil rights and violate the Constitution. He is constantly invited to speak at various conferences and television shows: last year he gave more than 50 appearances. Most of them are free, but for others Edward can receive several thousand dollars - he has to look for a livelihood because Edward's personal financial reserves ran out last year.
Edward Snowden is quite consistent in his position. He announced his refusal to cooperate with FSB officers who wanted to obtain the secret information he had. He greeted friends of Russian officials with information about billions of dollars in secret offshore companies. After all, Snowden criticizes government Internet surveillance and censorship in any country, not just the United States. For example, he spoke very sharply about Irina Yarovaya’s package of “anti-terrorist” amendments to legislation, June 24, 2016. The amendments provide for total wiretapping of Internet traffic and telephone conversations of all Russians, recording and storing traffic and conversations, as well as the obligation of providers to provide keys for decrypting encrypted traffic at the request of the authorities. They will come into force after approval by the Federation Council on June 29 (about which there is practically no doubt) and after signing by the President of the Russian Federation.
“Mass surveillance doesn’t work. This law will take money and freedom from every Russian without any improvement in security. It should not be signed,”
Name: Edward Snowden
Age: 35 years
Activity: technical specialist, former CIA and US National Security Agency employee
Family status: not married
Edward Snowden: biography
Edward Snowden is an American technical assistant, known throughout the world for publishing a number of sensational revelations by US intelligence agencies regarding mass surveillance of citizens. Since 2013, his name has appeared on the front pages of the media, as information about violations by the National Security Agency (NSA) of the rights and freedoms of millions of Americans and Europeans amazed the world community.
IN Lately Snowden lives in Russia, where he was granted political asylum because the United States put him on the international wanted list, charging him in absentia with theft and disclosure of state secrets, which is regarded as a threat to the country's security.
Childhood and youth
Edward Snowden was born on June 21, 1983 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. His parents, coast guard Lonnie and lawyer Elizabeth Snowden, are divorced. In the family Edward is youngest child, he has an older sister, Jessica, who works as a lawyer at the Federal Judicial Center in Washington.
Snowden spent his childhood and youth in his hometown, where the future CIA and NSA employee received his secondary education. In 1999, Snowden's family moved to Maryland. There Edward entered Anne Arundel College, where he took preparatory courses for entering the university.
However, due to health reasons, he never completed the course of study - he had to continue his studies remotely, which did not prevent Snowden from receiving a master's degree from the University of Liverpool in 2011.
In 2004, Edward Snowden joined the US Armed Forces as a reservist, from where he was discharged a few months after receiving serious injuries to both legs. From that moment on, Snowden’s biography was directly related to computer science, programming and IT technologies, in which the guy showed professionalism and special talent, despite the lack of formal confirmation of the specialist’s qualifications.
Service in the CIA
Edward Snowden's rise up the career ladder was confident and rapid. The specialist received his first professional skills at the NSA, working in the security structure of a secret facility at the University of Maryland. A few years later, Snowden was hired by the CIA and, under diplomatic cover, was sent to Geneva as the US permanent representative to the UN. There, his responsibilities included ensuring the security of computer networks. According to Edward, working in Switzerland opened his eyes to the fact that he is a special link in the US intelligence services, bringing people more harm than good.
In 2009, the programmer left the CIA and began working for the NSA consulting companies Dell and Booz Allen Hamilton, performing the duties of an external contractor.
Snowden did not approve of the activities of the US National Security Agency, in the future ridding the American public of illusions about the lawful actions of the government in relation to the whole world. In this regard, in 2013, an NSA special agent decided to act at the behest of his heart and reveal to people secret information exposing American intelligence agencies in mass surveillance of people.
Snowden has repeatedly noted that he wanted to declassify the unlawful actions of the NSA and CIA back in 2008, but hoped that when he came to power the situation in the US secret services would change. It soon became obvious to the programmer that the new US President was continuing the policies of his predecessors and did not intend to interfere with the activities of the “spies.”
Revelations and criminal prosecutions
Snowden's work to declassify crimes of American intelligence agencies began in 2013. Then the former CIA and NSA agent contacted film producer Laura Poitras, American journalist Glenn Greenwald and publicist Barton Gellman, who told them that he was ready to provide classified information.
Snowden's communication took place through encrypted e-mail messages, through which the IT specialist leaked 200 thousand secret documents to journalists. Their secrecy status exceeded previously published materials on WikiLeaks regarding the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. After this, a scandal broke out, and the announced incriminating evidence gained effect in the press thermonuclear bomb. In the future, the founder of WikiLeaks will state that thanks to the international non-profit organization Snowden remains at large.
Edward Snowden's revelations contained facts about surveillance by US intelligence agencies of the population in 60 countries and 35 government departments across Europe. The programmer declassified information about the PRISM program, with the help of which special agents conducted mass surveillance of negotiations between Americans and foreign citizens via the Internet and mobile communications.
According to Edward, the PRISM program allowed the NSA to listen to voice and video chats, view email and photos, track sent files and own all the information of social network users. A large number of popular services participated in this program: Microsoft (Hotmail), Facebook, Google (Gmail), Skype, Yahoo!, AOL, YouTube, Apple and Paltalk.
Another sensational revelation by Snowden was the secret ruling of the FISC court, according to which the largest cellular operator Verizon is obliged to daily transfer to the NSA the metadata of all calls made within the United States. Against the backdrop of this ruling, journalists suggested that other American cellular operators could also be involved in such obligations.
In addition, thanks to Snowden, it became known about the existence of the Tempora tracking program, which intercepts Internet traffic and telephone conversations, and about integrated iPhone software that allows you to monitor user actions.
One of Snowden's most high-profile revelations was the disclosure of the fact that US intelligence officers intercepted telephone conversations of foreign politicians and officials participating in the G20 summit held in London in 2009. Among those affected by misconduct The US NSA included many well-known politicians from around the world.
According to the Pentagon, Snowden is in possession of 1.7 million classified documents, most of which relate to vital information about the operations of the US Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. This information, according to journalists, will be gradually disclosed with the aim of causing damage national interests USA and NSA.
After deciding to reveal his identity, Edward Snowden, realizing that he would have to pay dearly for this act, went on the run.
At first, the programmer hid in Hong Kong, where he planned to obtain political asylum. After the announcement of official charges by the American authorities of theft and disclosure of secret state secrets, which happened on the day of Edward’s 30th birthday, the spy, for unknown reasons, appeared in Moscow at Sheremetyevo airport, but, not having a Russian visa, was forced to remain in the transit zone of the airport .
According to media reports, in Russia the programmer was met by a car with Venezuelan diplomatic license plates, which took Snowden away in an unknown direction. Presumably, Edward intended to go to South America through Moscow.
On June 30, 2013, he asked to be granted political asylum in Russia, and the very next day the President of the Russian Federation allowed the programmer to remain in the country on the condition that he stop the subversive work of the American intelligence services.
At the same time, Edward Snowden submitted a petition to the American authorities for a pardon, citing the fact that he did not observe anything bad or illegal in his actions. American authorities have a conflicting attitude towards Snowden's revelations, believing that the programmer is obliged to stand trial because he betrayed US state secrets. American intelligence officers consider the act of the former CIA and NSA employee to be harsh and illegal, causing irreparable damage to the US intelligence service.
In turn, the European Union is categorical about the issue of the prosecution of Snowden. The European Parliament has repeatedly called on the EU to refuse to impose a sentence on the American and to provide him with protection, which would make it impossible for him to be extradited to the United States or returned by a third party.
In July 2016, US CIA Director John Brennan said that Snowden should return to the US and face trial. Then the head of American foreign intelligence did not support the position of former US Attorney General Eric Holder, who called Snowden’s activities a “service to the public.” The head of the CIA does not believe that thanks to Edward, a discussion of socially significant issues has begun in the country.
In 2016, a former employee of the National Security Agency spoke in an interview with the Financial Times about his life in the Russian capital. Snowden admitted that his knowledge of the Russian language is only enough to place an order at a restaurant. Snowden added that he lives on Eastern Time and spends most of his time on the Internet, but "this has always been his life."
Snowden has repeatedly expressed his opinion regarding Russian anti-terrorism laws. A former American intelligence officer criticized in his microblog in social network "Twitter" a package of laws (“package”) that introduce life imprisonment for international terrorism and oblige telecom operators, instant messengers and social networks to store information about the facts of conversations and correspondence of users and their content.
“Mass surveillance doesn’t work. This law takes away money and freedom from every Russian without improving security. You shouldn’t sign it,” Snowden notes.
In 2017, the authorities of many countries around the world continue to invite the former employee of the American intelligence services to speak out on a number of issues, as well as to give lectures.
Movies
"The Most Wanted Man in the World" Edward Snowden after publication and unveiling classified information American intelligence agencies became one of the main characters for writers and filmmakers who decided to make him part of their creations. He was the main subject of the documentary "Citizenfour", directed by Laura Poitras based on interviews with a former CIA and NSA employee.
The film about Edward Snowden won the prestigious Oscar as the best documentary film with a bold plot, which from the first to the last seconds carries sensational and revealing information.
In 2016 the world saw new project the famous director called “Snowden”, dedicated to the story of a former IT specialist of the US intelligence services hiding from the evil American government. The main roles in the film were played by actors, and.
Personal life
The personal life of Edward Snowden, after his high-profile revelations, due to the precautions taken, became a secret to society. ABOUT family life he mentioned once in passing - in 2013, he said that he had a wife and children. It is known that since 2009, his girlfriend was dancer Lindsay Mills, with whom he lived in a civil marriage on the Hawaiian island of Waipahu.
There were rumors that the couple broke up in 2013. But director Oliver Stone, the author of the film about Snowden, denied this information. The American spy still lives with his beloved in Russia. Evidence of this fact is provided by their joint photos that appear on Lindsay’s personal Instagram account.
In 2013, a former employee of the Russian intelligence services proposed that Edward Snowden marry her. She wrote about this on Twitter, but users called this step a PR move on her part.
According to journalists who interviewed Edward in Hong Kong, Snowden remains a good-natured and intelligent person, in whose character there are notes of romance and idealism. The programmer leads a quiet and healthy lifestyle, practices Buddhism, spends a lot of time at the computer and enjoys reading books on Russian history. At the same time, the NSA and CIA “whistleblower” adheres to a vegetarian diet, does not drink coffee or drink alcohol.
Edward Snowden now
The programmer has repeatedly stated that he is ready to move to the United States, subject to an open trial with a jury present at the trial. But no head of state has yet given Snowden such guarantees. In 2017, journalists suggested that Moscow would no longer hide Edward on Russian territory, but would hand him over to the new US President, but the programmer again managed to renew his residence permit.
In 2018, the American stopped communicating with the public for six months. In the fall, with his participation, a video conference took place with the University of Management of the Austrian city of Innsbruck. Edward said that he now manages the American Foundation for the Defense of Freedom of Journalists.
As part of his activities, Snowden is developing a program to protect information sources from external threats. According to the former CIA officer, he is primarily concerned with the problems of American society, which he continues to struggle with. At the same time, Edward does not stop criticizing the Russian government and reforms.
In November, Snowden gave a lecture to Mossad senior officials, presenting evidence of NSA infiltration into Israeli intelligence operations via videoconference. Snowden has not yet provided information about new performances in 2019, but it is assumed that the programmer will continue to expose American intelligence services.
Quotes
Snowden himself says this about his revelations:
“I have carefully reviewed each document to ensure that its release would serve the legitimate interests of the public. There are documents of all types that would have great consequences if released, but I do not release them because my goal is openness, not hurting people."
Source: AP 2019
On June 21, 1983, Edward Snowden, a world-famous whistleblower of American intelligence agencies, was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, who in 2013 provided several media outlets with information about the US government's total surveillance of millions of people around the world. Fleeing persecution, Snowden eventually ended up in Russia. He cannot return to his native country, since in the United States he was charged in absentia with espionage and theft of government property. However, the disgraced agent is not wasting his time. On the birthday of the famous whistleblower, AiF.ru tells what he began to do during his forced exile.
“The Hermit,” whose face never leaves the screens
$200 thousand - this was Edward Snowden's annual income at the National Security Agency (NSA), according to The Guardian. And, according to Yahoo News, he earned about the same amount in 2016 from speaking fees at various lectures and symposiums organized around the world.
Despite the fact that Snowden's whereabouts are not disclosed for security reasons, it cannot be said that he leads the life of a hermit. On the contrary, his face constantly appears at various technology and human rights conferences, leading directors like Oliver Stone seek his attention, and government representatives are consulted on security issues. The range of events in which the former intelligence officer participates is incredibly wide. Here his face appears on a giant screen at a conference on personal data security in Tokyo, here he speaks to an audience at the international exhibition of youth culture Comic-con in San Diego, and then at a music festival in the middle of Europe.
Naturally, Snowden does not receive fees for all of his remote appearances. However, this is of little concern to the American authorities, who have been criticizing the former employee for the fifth year now for “profiting from the secrets of his native country.” “In my opinion, he violated the oath he swore to our government on our Constitution. The fact that he is being rewarded for this is sad and wrong,” former CIA Director John Brennan said in 2016.
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However, Snowden's supporters believe that he simply had no other choice. He was unable to take large savings with him to Russia. But you have to live on something. If he had not been able to earn money on his own, he would inevitably have been labeled a spy in the pay of Moscow. Besides, what's wrong with lecturing for a living? After all, many former American agents living quietly in their homeland make money quite legally from the same speeches on security issues.
Traveled all over Russia in 5 years
At the same time, Snowden has never appeared “live” in public in Russia over the past 5 years. Only once did a photographer accidentally capture him walking along the embankment in the Russian capital.
According to Snowden's lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, the whistleblower lives in an ordinary Moscow rented apartment, moves around the city by metro and buys groceries in regular stores. For 5 years, the agent traveled around Russia, visited St. Petersburg several times, which he really liked.
Life in Russia, meanwhile, turned out to be far from cheap, and the income from lectures alone was not enough to cover everything. And Snowden accepted an offer to get a job as an IT security consultant in one of the large international corporations. At the same time, he began developing his own anti-surveillance software, Haven. It was presented in December 2017 and co-authored by the Freedom of the Press Foundation. The program allows you not only to encrypt all information on your computer or phone, but also stands guard at home. Sensors mobile device record changes in the room and send a signal to the owner if someone has entered there.
His girlfriend Lindsay Mills lives with Snowden in Russia. Several years ago, the American media wrote about their separation, but director Oliver Stone, who made a feature film about Snowden and met with him several times in Moscow, denied this information. The agent in Russia is also visited by his father, who has repeatedly urged his son to return to his homeland.
Will the fugitive return home?
Inevitably, during such a long stay in Russia, Snowden was accused of working for the Russian intelligence services. The denials, which were repeatedly given by both the whistleblower himself and the President of Russia, could not reassure the most suspicious.
For example, the head of German counterintelligence, Hans-Georg Maasen, said in 2016 that Snowden had become “part of the hybrid war that Russia is waging against the West.” According to the politician, the Russian SVR could have recruited the American even before he joined the NSA. Maasen called the fact that in international public opinion Snowden remains a lone idealist “the pinnacle of success” for Russia in disinformation work.
But if the NSA whistleblower was indeed recruited by the Russians, then how can we explain the fact why he, while living in Russia, repeatedly criticized the Russian authorities? Snowden expressed disagreement with legislative restrictions on the Internet and condemned the blocking of the Telegram messenger. He repeatedly stated his desire to leave Russia and move to permanent place residence in one of the Latin American countries.
However, Snowden has already said more than once that he is ready to return to the United States and stand trial if they give him guarantees that the trial will be open and with the participation of a jury. However, he did not receive such guarantees either under the previous President Barack Obama or under the current owner of the White House, Donald Trump. This is despite the fact that at home leading human rights organizations, Hollywood stars and even individual politicians, such as US presidential candidate Democrat Bernie Sanders, are supporting Snowden.
When Trump came to power, some American publications wrote that the Kremlin might hand over Snowden as a gift to Trump, but these reports turned out to be just another “fake news.” Russian authorities have extended the residence permit of a former agent. And now it seems that one of America's greatest dissidents will still have time to grow old here.
Donald Trump has annulled the document regulating Washington's cyberspace policy, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to the publication, the initiative to revise Barack Obama’s 2012 directive comes from John Bolton and is aimed at freeing the hands of American intelligence agencies to counter Moscow’s “interference.” According to media reports, Bolton began lobbying for these changes immediately after his appointment to the post of National Security Advisor to the President of the United States. RT understood the paradoxes of American cyber policy.
On August 1, 2013, ex-CIA and NSA employee Edward Snowden received temporary asylum in Russia after a month-long stay in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo Airport. He was forced to hide from the US authorities due to the publication of information about the total surveillance conducted by the American intelligence services. In his homeland, Snowden is accused of unauthorized disclosure of classified information affecting national defense, intentional transfer of American intelligence data, and theft of government property.
Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications Vladimir Krupennikov commented on RT on the statement of Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno on the situation with WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange.
A special group begins to operate within the structure of American intelligence to combat threats posed by “Russian hackers.” The head of the National Security Agency and US Cyber Command, Paul Nakasone, spoke about this. Experts believe that there is nothing new in this initiative - the NSA has led active work in cyberspace in relation to the Russian Federation and some other countries. According to political scientists, a public statement about the “Russian threat” pursues exclusively domestic political goals. ABOUT possible consequences interference of the intelligence community in government processes - in the RT material.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald, known for shining a light on NSA electronic surveillance through Edward Snowden's reporting, has come under media attack in the US. The reason was that he took part in the International Cybersecurity Congress in Moscow and gave an interview to RT. RT correspondent Caleb Maupin provides details.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz demanded an explanation from Berlin in connection with publications about German surveillance of Austrian government facilities. According to media reports, in 1999-2006, Berlin conducted large-scale surveillance of Austrian federal departments, and also collected intelligence on international organizations, large companies and foreign diplomatic missions in Vienna. The German authorities have not yet commented on the situation, but it is known that the Bundestag committee for monitoring the activities of the intelligence services will check the published data. Experts interviewed by RT indicate that European countries remain divided on security issues.
In the United States, official charges were brought against Julian Assange, but the Department of Justice hid this fact, The Washington Post reports. This information became public due to an error by an assistant prosecutor for the State of Virginia, the newspaper notes. However, Washington has not yet confirmed this information. According to experts, the United States authorities tried to work in “secrecy mode” in the hope that Assange would voluntarily leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has been hiding since 2012. Political scientists, as well as the journalist’s lawyers, do not rule out that the United States will continue to seek Assange’s extradition.
The new US cybersecurity strategy has both a defensive and an offensive aspect. This was stated by Presidential National Security Adviser John Bolton. The document pays special attention to the “activity” of Russia, Iran, China and the DPRK in cyberspace. According to the leadership of the United States, increasing offensive capabilities in this area should become a deterrent. However, experts do not rule out that the United States has previously used hacker attacks to achieve its goals, and therefore a formal update of the strategy will not in any way affect the activities of American intelligence services.
The state of emergency and emergency measures introduced in the United States more than 17 years ago after the September 11 terrorist attacks have been extended from year to year for political reasons. This opinion is shared by experts interviewed by RT. In particular, President Donald Trump also signed the decree on the extension, citing the fact that the terrorist threat still remains. According to analysts, Washington is deliberately exaggerating the level of danger in order to retain special powers for the intelligence services and police, in particular the right to large-scale surveillance, including abroad. Experts believe that in this way the country’s leadership can control any changes in the internal political situation, as well as regulate financial flows.
Barack Obama asking for a pardon. Amazing news: a former CIA agent who received asylum in Russia miraculously managed to escape from American justice in 2013. But he still doesn’t give up trying to return home.
Snowden is one of the most controversial figures in modern history.
For many, he became a real hero who dealt a powerful blow to the system of total surveillance created in the United States by the intelligence services.
Under the guise of the fight against terrorism, government agencies took control of negotiations between Americans and foreign citizens via the Internet, telephones and instant messengers. While working for the CIA, Snowden handed over hundreds of thousands of secret files to journalists, the publication of which demonstrated the scale of the problem: intelligence agencies were spying on more than a billion people in 60 countries.
For others, Snowden will forever remain a traitor who betrayed his oath and weakened the US national security system. For several years now, the American government has been consistently seeking his extradition. There have also been international scandals: for example, in 2013, at the request of the United States, Austrian authorities searched the plane of Bolivian President Evo Morales, suspecting that he was sheltering a fugitive CIA officer.
The rebellious agent ended up in Moscow, where he received political asylum. Covering Snowden was a coup for the Kremlin in the geopolitical chess game between Putin and Obama. The Russian president received a whole bunch of arguments incriminating the Americans of hypocrisy. On the one hand, Washington criticizes Russia for violating civil rights and persecuting dissidents. On the other hand, look at these Americans - they are monitoring hundreds of thousands of people and in practice creating the “Big Brother” system described in Orwell’s famous novel.
Snowden had every chance of settling well in Moscow as the new “Angela Davis.” For Kremlin propaganda, he was an ideal hero-whistleblower. Many expected that, following the example of Anna Chapman, he would become the host of some television project on federal TV. He would be welcome guest on any political talk show, where every week the “vaunted Western democracy” is exposed.
However, nothing of the kind happened. Snowden is clearly not comfortable in Russia. He lives as a hermit and rarely communicates with journalists.
Many have looked for ulterior motives in Snowden's actions. Some saw him as a Russian or Chinese spy. Some believed that the whistleblower was motivated by selfish motives. But after a while, it is more likely to say that Snowden is an idealist and romantic. When in his first interviews he said that he was disappointed in the American state and wanted to benefit society by publishing CIA files, most likely he was telling the truth.
And this is also the reason for Snowden’s discomfort in our country - he is an idealist. Having escaped from the United States, where intelligence agencies monitored citizens secretly, he appeared in Russia, where the government monitors the population openly, openly and demonstratively.
To the surprise of the Kremlin, Snowden, warmed up in Moscow, began to criticize Putin’s policies. At first he did it quietly and delicately. In 2014, on a direct line with Putin, he asked the president an uncomfortable question about FSB surveillance of Russian citizens.
In 2015, he condemned Russia for the persecution of sexual minorities and called the government’s desire to control the Internet “fundamentally wrong.” And after the adoption of the “Yarovaya package,” Snowden no longer minced words: he considered this project a “Big Brother law” and an “unforgivable violation of civil rights.”
“Mass surveillance doesn't work. This bill will take away money and freedom from every Russian, while the level of security will not increase. It cannot be signed,” Snowden said.
It is not surprising that after such attacks, the American rebel is no longer invited to speak directly with Putin. And the Kremlin media is increasingly turning to him for interviews: Snowden’s rhetoric has long been sharply out of line with propaganda.
And now Snowden is asking permission to return to his homeland. He understands that, despite all the shortcomings of the United States, the government there periodically changes, the media writes what they consider necessary, and not what is beneficial to the government, and public opinion can protect a citizen who is disliked by the government.
The scandal provoked by Snowden has undoubtedly made the United States a freer country. The public saw the problem raised by the former CIA agent and strengthened control over its intelligence agencies.
In Russia, the system works differently: if someone exposes the arbitrariness of the special services, then the arbitrariness increases. It is possible to change the system only by changing the country's leadership. However, such a prospect is not yet visible.
And that's why Snowden wants to go home.