Snowden, Edward

Edward Snowden is a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who leaked classified information in 2013, revealing that the U.S. government was conducting extensive global surveillance on individuals, including citizens and foreign governments. His disclosures exposed programs that collected phone and internet data, raising concerns about privacy, government overreach, and civil liberties. Snowden's actions sparked an international debate on security versus privacy, leading some to view him as a whistleblower and others as a traitor. He currently lives in Russia, where he sought asylum to avoid prosecution in the United States.