Edward Snowden

1983 – 20??

Edward Joseph Snowden is a former United States National Security Agency contractor who in 2013 leaked classified documents to journalists Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, and Barton Gellman, exposing the existence of mass surveillance programs operated by the NSA and its Five Eyes partners against domestic and foreign communications. The disclosures prompted a global debate over surveillance, civil liberties, and secret-court oversight, and contributed to the passage of the USA FREEDOM Act in 2015. Charged under the Espionage Act, he has lived in Russia since 2013, where he was granted citizenship in 2022.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM