EDWARD SNOWDEN

Quick FactsName

Edward SnowdenBirth Date

June 21, 1983 (age 31)Education

University of Liverpool, Anne Arundel Community CollegePlace of Birth

North CarolinaAKA

VeraxEdward Snowden

Full NameEdward Joseph Snowden

Zodiac SignCancer

Edward Snowden may be a former National Security Agency contractor WHO created headlines in 2013 once he leaked high secret data regarding United States intelligence agency police investigation activities.

quotes“I don't need to measure in an exceedingly society that will these kind of things ... I don't need to measure in an exceedingly world wherever everything I do and say is recorded. that's not one thing i'm willing to support or live below.”—Edward SnowdenSynopsis

Born in North Carolina in 1983, Edward Snowden worked for the National Security Agency through contractor Booz Allen within the NSA's island workplace. once solely 3 months, Snowden began assembling classified documents concerning United States intelligence agency domestic police investigation practices, that he found distressful. once Snowden fled to port, China, newspapers began printing the documents that he had leaked to them, several of them particularization invasive spying practices against americans. With the U.S. charging Snowden below the spying Act however several teams line him a hero, Snowden remains in Russia, with the U.S. government functioning on surrender.Early Years

Edward Snowden was born in North Carolina on midsummer, 1983, and grew up in Elizabeth town. His mother works for the court in Baltimore (the family touched to Ellicott town, Maryland, once Snowden was young) as chief deputy clerk for administration and knowledge technology. Snowden's father, a former Coast Guard officer, lives in Pennsylvania.

Snowden born out of highschool and studied computers at Anne Arundel junior college in Arnold, Maryland (from 1999 to 2001, and once more from 2004 to 2005), later earning a GED. Between his stints at junior college, Snowden spent four months (May to Gregorian calendar month 2004) within the Army Reserves in special-forces coaching. consistent with Army sources, he failed to complete any coaching, associate degreed Snowden has aforesaid that he was discharged once he stony-broke his legs in an accident.Government Work

Two years once feat Anne Arundel for the second time, Snowden landed employment with the National Security Agency as a watcher, that he somehow parlayed into associate degree information-technology job at the Central intelligence service. Snowden has aforesaid that in 2007, the United States intelligence agency stationed him in Geneva, however in 2009 he left to figure for personal contractors, among them hollow and Booz Allen Hamilton, a school firm. With Booz Allen, he was shipped off to Japan to figure as a contractor in associate degree United States intelligence agency workplace before being transferred to associate degree workplace in Hawaii. once solely 3 months with Booz Allen, Snowden would build a call that will modification his life forever.Blowing the Whistle

While functioning at the NSA's island workplace, Snowden began noticing government programs involving the United States intelligence agency spying on americans via phone calls and net use. quickly, feat his "very comfy life" and $200,000 pay behind, in might 2013, Snowden began repeating classified United States intelligence agency documents whereas at work, building a written record on practices that he found invasive and distressful. The documents contained large and inculpatory data on the NSA's domestic police investigation practices, together with spying on legion americans below the umbrella of programs like PRISM.

After he had compiled an outsized store of documents, Snowden told his United States intelligence agency supervisor that he required a leave of absence to bear medical treatment. He had been recently diagnosed with encephalopathy. On May 20, 2013, Snowden took a flight to port, China, wherever he remained throughout the first stages of the fallout. This fallout began the subsequent month, on June 5, once the United Kingdom's Guardian newspaper discharged secret documents obtained from Snowden regarding associate degree yank intelligence body (Foreign Intelligence police investigation Court) exacting that Verizon unleash data "on a daily basis" culled from its yank customers' activities.

The following day, the Guardian and therefore the Washington Times discharged Snowden's leaked data on PRISM, associate degree United States intelligence agency program that enables period of time data assortment, during this case, exclusively data on americans. A flood of knowledge followed,

and therefore the yank folks, the international community and therefore the U.S. government have since been scrambling to either hear additional regarding it or have Snowden inactive

Aftermath

"I'm willing to sacrifice [my former life] as a result of i can not in sensible conscience enable the U.S. government to destroy privacy, web freedom and basic liberties for individuals round the world with this large police work machine they are on the Q.T. building," Snowden same when the actual fact, during a series of interviews given in his metropolis chamber. one in all the individuals he left behind was his girlfriend Lindsay Mills. The combine had been habitation in Hawaii, and he or she reportedly had no concept he was on the point of disclose classified data to the general public.

The U.S. government before long more matured Snowden's disclosures lawfully. On June 14, 2013, federal prosecutors charged Snowden with stealing of presidency property, unauthorized communication of national defense data, Associate in Nursingd willful communication of classified intelligence with an unauthorized person. The last 2 charges represent the spying Act. (Before President Barack Obama took workplace, the act had solely been used for prosecutorial functions 3 times since 1917; Since President Obama took workplace, it had been invoked seven times as of Gregorian calendar month 2013.)

Snowden remained out of sight for nearly one month, 1st asking South American nation for asylum and so fleeing metropolis for Russia, whose government has denied the U.S. request to deliver him. whereas some decried him as a traitor, he did appear to be building some support for his cause, however. quite a hundred,000 individuals had signed an internet petition asking Obama to pardon Snowden by late Gregorian calendar month.

The following month, Snowden created headlines once more once it had been proclaimed that he had been offered asylum in Republic of Venezuela, Central American nation and Bolivia. round the same time, it had been reportable that Snowden was "stuck in transit" in capital of the Russian Federation when the U.S. annulled his passport, which he had not nevertheless created a call on wherever, of the countries providing him asylum, he would be relocating. Snowden before long created up his mind, expressing Associate in Nursing interest in staying in Russia. one in all his lawyers, Anatoly Kucherena, gave Associate in Nursing interview with CBS News. Kucherena same that Snowden would request temporary asylum in Russia and presumably apply for Russian citizenship later. Snowden thanked Russia for giving him asylum and same that "in the top the law is winning."

That Oct, Snowden unconcealed that he now not possessed any of the United States intelligence agency files that he leaked to press. He gave those materials to the journalists he met with in metropolis, however he did not keep any copies for himself. Snowden explained that "it would not serve the general public interest" for him to own brought the files to Russia, per The ny Times. Around

this point, Snowden's father, Lon Snowden, got an opportunity to go to with him in capital of the Russian Federation. Lon told the press that he supported his son, spoken communication that "I recognize my son. i do know he loves his country," per a CNN report. He explained that his son was a "whistle-blower," not a "leaker."

Snowden received some dangerous news the subsequent month. per the Guardian newspaper, his request to the U.S. government for clemency was rejected. The fallout from his disclosures continued to unfold over future few months, as well as a legal battle over the gathering of phone information by the United States intelligence agency. President Barack Obama sought-after to calm fears over government spying in Gregorian calendar month 2014, ordering U.S. professional General Eric Holder to review the country's police work programs.

Still in exile, Snowden remained a polarizing figure. He created Associate in Nursing look at the popular South by Southwest pageant via teleconferencing in March 2014. Around this point, the U.S. military unconcealed that the knowledge Snowden leaked might have caused such a lot injury to its security that the value to repair it's going to run within the billions.

In might 2014, Snowden gave a revealing interview with NBC News. He told Brian Williams that he was a trained spy World Health Organization worked hugger-mugger as Associate in Nursing operative for the CIA and United States intelligence agency. Snowden explained that he viewed himself as a national, basic cognitive process his actions had useful results. His unseaworthy of data diode to "a sturdy public debate" and "new protections within the u. s. and abroad for our rights to create that they are now not desecrated." He conjointly expressed Associate in Nursing interest to travel home to the u. s.