Edward Joseph Snowden was born in 1983 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, into a family where everybody worked for the federal government in some capacity. In tenth grade, Snowden stopped attending high school when he came down with mononucleosis. Instead of returning to finish school, he began taking classes at the local community college and became engrossed in computers, technology, the internet, and Japanese anime culture. In 2004, he joined the United States Army Reserve, but was soon discharged after breaking both of his legs five months into special-forces training.
Cybersecurity CareerSnowden’s career as a security specialist began in 2005, when he worked as a security guard for the University of Maryland’s Center for Advanced Study of Language. In 2006, he was hired by the CIA in Langley, Virginia. One year later, the CIA posted him in Geneva to maintain computer network security. In 2009, he resigned from the CIA to work as a private contractor: first for Dell, and then for Booz Allen Hamilton. As a contractor, Snowden worked in Tokyo, Maryland, and finally Hawaii, where he began the work that would ultimately make him one of America’s most polarizing figures.
Stealing NSA DocumentsWhile working at the NSA office in Hawaii in 2013, Snowden grew increasingly disturbed by how the NSA was spying on ordinary citizens through their phone and Internet data. He began compiling a dossier filled with information on the NSA’s mass surveillance practices. He then contacted documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, as well as journalists Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill, and Barton Gellman, enlisting them to leak the documents he had collected. In May 2013, Snowden told his bosses he needed to take a medical leave of absence to deal with his recently diagnosed epilepsy. On May 20, 2013, Snowden flew to Hong Kong and braced himself for what was to come.
The LeaksOn June 5, 2013, The Guardian leaked documents demonstrating that Verizon was sharing all of its user data with the NSA. The next day, The Guardian and The Washington Times broke the story about PRISM, an NSA surveillance program that allows the NSA to collect internet data from its citizens through their online activity on products and applications by Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, and Apple, to name a few. These were just the first in a series of incriminating leaks by worldwide media outlets revealing the numerous mass surveillance programs by not only the NSA but also its global partners.
AftermathOn June 9, 2013, Snowden revealed his identity through The Guardian, stating, “I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong.” Several days later, U.S. federal prosecutors charged Snowden with theft of government property, plus two counts of violating the U.S. Espionage Act: unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified intelligence with an unauthorized person. Snowden remained in Hong Kong for one month, until, with the aid of WikiLeaks, he set out to flee to Ecuador via Russia and Cuba. When his flight arrived in Russia, however, U.S. officials revoked his passport, preventing him from continuing on in his journey. Snowden has since remained in Russia, where he was initially granted temporary asylum, and then, in August 2014, a three-year residency permit.
Snowden’s LegacyWhether you think Snowden is a patriot or a traitor, one thing’s for sure: Snowden’s NSA leaks have encouraged the public to really think about our right to privacy in a digital age.
