“Congress hasn't declared war on the countries - the majority of them are our allies - but without asking for public permission, NSA is running network operations against them that affect millions of innocent people. And for what? So we can have secret access to a computer in a country we're not even fighting?”

former United States National Security Agency contractor

Edward Joseph Snowden is a former United States National Security Agency contractor known for leaking classified documents that exposed global surveillance programs. His disclosures made him a central figure in debates over privacy, intelligence gathering, and government surveillance. Snowden worked as an intelligence contractor before releasing the material that brought his name into public view. Since then, he has been identified with criticism of mass surveillance and with arguments about the balance between security and civil liberties.