Snowden NSA Leaks
Edward Snowden leaked classified documents revealing mass surveillance programs by the NSA
June 05, 2013
A Contractor Who Blew the Whistle
In June 2013, Edward Snowden, a contractor working for the U.S. National Security Agency, leaked thousands of classified documents to journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras. The documents revealed that the NSA was collecting phone records from millions of ordinary Americans, intercepting internet communications, and tapping the phones of foreign leaders — including U.S. allies. Snowden carried out the leak from Hong Kong before fleeing to Russia, where he was granted asylum.
The World Reacts
The revelations caused immediate diplomatic shockwaves. Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel called President Obama to protest after learning her personal cell phone had been monitored. Tech companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft faced intense criticism for their cooperation with government surveillance programs. Civil liberties groups filed lawsuits. Congress held hearings. In 2015, a U.S. court ruled that some of the NSA's bulk phone collection was illegal.
The Ongoing Debate
The Snowden leaks ignited a debate that continues today: how should governments balance national security with individual privacy? Snowden is considered a hero by many privacy advocates and a traitor by many in the intelligence community. He has lived in Moscow ever since, unable to return to the United States without facing espionage charges. His leaks accelerated the adoption of encryption by tech companies and made millions of ordinary people more aware of digital surveillance. Read about the founding of WikiLeaks for another landmark transparency story.