Snowden asks Putin surveillance question

Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden on Thursday made an unexpected intervention in a televised forum involving Russian President Vladimir Putin, quizzing him over the extent of Moscow's surveillance activities.

Putin, a former KGB agent, greeted Snowden as a fellow 'former agent' before assuring him that Russia's surveillance of the population was not on a mass scale and strictly controlled by laws.

The questions were put to Putin during a televised QA aired on Thursday in which Russians were able to submit videoed questions to Putin using mobile phone apps.

Snowden spoke against a dark background giving no clue to his location. His Russian lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told the RIA Novosti news agency that Snowden pre-recorded the video.

The fugitive whistleblower asked the question in English. Putin appeared taken aback and was not provided with a translation through an earpiece, suggesting he was not expecting the question.

'I'd like to ask you: does Russia intercept, store or analyse in any way the communications of millions of individuals?' Snowden asked.

'And do you believe that simply increasing the effectiveness of intelligence or law enforcement investigations can justify our placing societies rather than subjects under surveillance?'

Putin replied that the kind of 'mass eavesdropping' on the population that Snowden exposed in the United States was impossible as Russia's special services were under strict control.

'Mr Snowden, you're a former agent, I also had something to do with this, so we'll talk in a professional language,' he greeted Snowden, drowned out by clapping from the audience.

'We have strict legal regulation of the use of special surveillance by special services, including tapping phone conversations, surveillance on the internet and so on,' Putin said, stressing a court decision was necessary for this.

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Snowden asks Putin surveillance question