‘The end of exile’: Edward Snowden chats with CU-Boulder …

Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden hosted an intimate yet high-tech conversation in Boulder on Tuesday evening, sharing his thoughts on human rights, terrorism and why he leaked information on domestic surveillance programs during a live video chat from Moscow.

Wearing black earbuds and sitting in front of a black backdrop, the image of Snowden filled a giant projector screen hanging above the stage in Macky Auditorium at the University of Colorado.

Snowden took questions from author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind, who sat in a chair on stage and peered into a large computer screen, before answering a few questions collected via social media from attendees using the hashtag #SnowdenCU.

Bob Hopper, of Boulder, listens to Edward Snowden speak during a live video chat Tuesday night on the University of Colorado's Boulder campus. (Jeremy Papasso / Staff Photographer)

Snowden is facing federal charges in the U.S. including some brought under the 1917 Espionage Act for leaking government documents, and had his U.S. passport revoked. But despite all of that, he pointed out that he was still able to communicate with hundreds of people in Boulder.

He said technology has empowered us.

"It is the end of exile in a very new and real way," he said.

While Snowden spoke from 5,500 miles away using Google Hangouts it was 5 a.m. in Moscow when the talk started the auditorium was peppered with light from iPhone screens as students and community members tweeted rapidly, asking questions about Snowden's life in Russia and his views on presidential politics.

Snowden walked the audience through the events leading up to his decision to share thousands of classified documents with journalists in 2013.

He said he became increasingly disturbed by the fact that the public was no longer a partner to the government.

"They were watching everyone, everywhere, all the time," he said. "It was indiscriminate or dragnet surveillance."

Snowden discussed the difference between legality and morality, pointing out various times in history when laws were later deemed to be immoral, and said he never meant to become the focus of the story.

"I set out to let the public have the information they should have always had that the government kept secret," he said. "You should decide for yourself what kind of world you want to live in."

He refuted the argument that most Americans shouldn't care about mass surveillance by the government because they have nothing to hide.

"That's a fundamental misunderstanding of rights," Snowden said. "It's no different than saying you don't care about the freedom of speech because you have nothing to say."

As the event continued, some of the audience's focus shifted to the moderator, who drew criticism for frequently interrupting Snowden.

Though the complaints burbled up on social media, at one point an audience member shouted, "Let him talk!" which drew loud cheers.

Snowden's appearance was put on by CU's Distinguished Speakers Board, which paid $56,000 in student fees for the event, a total that included Suskind's fee. It's not known how much Snowden received.

Sarah Kuta: 303-473-1106, kutas@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/sarahkuta

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