Edward Snowden’s first Twitter follow was the NSA

Edward Snowden poses for a photo during an interview at an undisclosed location in December 2013 in Moscow, Russia.

Image: Barton Gellman/Getty Images/Associated Press

By Megan Specia2015-09-29 16:16:07 UTC

"Can you hear me now?"

Edward Snowden joined Twitter on Tuesday morning with that simple question.

The account went live with Twitter's coveted blue verified tick, and Twitter later confirmed to Mashable that the account belongs to Snowden.

Less than 30 minutes after sending his first tweet, Snowden had more than 56,000 followers and climbing. But on Tuesday morning, he was only following one account the NSA.

Screenshot of Edward Snowden's Twitter handle around 12:25 EST, September 29.

Snowden has lived in Russia since he first leaked the documents in 2013. The country granted his asylum after he was charged with three felonies under the Espionage Act. Snowdens lawyer, Ben Wizner of the ACLU, told The Intercept that Snowden will be controlling the account.

The top of his account features a photo of a stack of newspapers, their front pages bearing the information from NSA documents that he leaked.

He had to reach out to Twitter directly as the @Snowden handle was already in use. But the user hadn't been active on the site in over three years and was handed over to Snowden, according to The Intercept.

One of the first to welcome him to Twitter was renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who also played an instrumental role in getting him on the social network in the first place.

Snowden's second tweet was a quick shout out to Tyson and also made reference to his limited ability to travel.

Tyson had recently hosted Snowden on his weekly chat show, Star Talk radio, chatting with him in Moscow using a robotic telepresence. During the conversation, Tyson told Snowden, You kind of need a Twitter handle."

Snowden seemed like he was up for the idea, and the pair even mentioned getting him the @Snowden account.

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey rolled out the welcome mat for Snowden, as messages of support poured in for the famed whistleblower.

Snowden's story will hit the big screen this winter with Oliver Stone's film Snowden, which premieres on Dec. 25.

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Edward Snowden's first Twitter follow was the NSA