I've been following the Edward Snowden saga since it started, and following NSA, the IC, and the national security state since the early 1990s. I had to read this book, as Glenn Greenwald had a critical role in bringing Snowden's materials to the public, and I wanted to see if he had anything new to say.

In one way, the book is very good. If you aren't terribly familiar with the situation, he provides a decent overview, and some new slides which illustrate what NSA has been doing (particularly since 9/11) and why it's bad. A particularly strong area is explaining why the "terrorism" justification is only a pretext, and the true purpose of domestic surveillance is controlling political and cultural rivals.

However, if you're completely familiar with everything published to date, there really isn't much new in this book. The only new material, aside from yet more slides about classified programs, is a bit more detail into how the pre-publication review process worked (or didn't work), and some inside baseball about the media itself. This is interesting, but ultimately not compelling. It's a pretty short book, too.

If you are deeply interested in the media and its handling of the national security state, or just want to read everything possible on the topic, sure, this is a good enough book.

If you are a general interest person who just wants an overview of the Snowden situation and its import, I would recommend the PBS Frontline "United States of Secrets", which is an excellent overview with much stronger interviews with Thomas Drake, William Binney, etc. than I'd seen in the media before.

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No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S ...

Senior Project Manager WSIB September 2008 February 2012 (3 years 6 months)Toronto, Canada Area

Effective July 30, 2011, project management for the Outlook Migration Project that include migrating the corporate enterprise from Lotus Notes email/calendaring to MS Outlook 2010. This was an off and on project with lack of management commitment. Inherited a project with no structure or standard documentation. Created structure and implemented based upon a new project charter, communications plan, risk management plan as well as a issues management and change management plans. Converted half of the end-users in three months.

Project Management for the External Webmail Pilot.

Was the technical project manager for the Mandatory Coverage project that includes the development, quality assurance, application testing and implementation of the following eService applications - eClearance, eRegistration and C&RP Conversion to ePremium application. Upgraded Web Access and Portal Integration (SSO) application. As part of this project, led the building of the Shared Infrastructure (IT environment - unix servers and mainframe application,oracle portal) for all application testing environments and the development and implementation of each of these web-based applications.

ICAM Release I program involved getting a program back on track that was a considerable number of business days behind schedule. Within two days had program back on track and build the necessary testing and production infrastructure. Shared implementation role with IBM project manager.

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Edward Snowden | LinkedIn

The Norway national broadcaster NRK released letters the FBI sent northern European countries requesting extradition of Edward Snowden if he claimed asylum after 2013 leak. Photograph: AP

The FBI demanded that Scandinavian countries arrest and extradite Edward Snowden if he flew to any of those countries and claimed asylum, newly released official documents reveal.

In the summer of 2013 the whistleblower had left his hotel in Hong Kong and was holed up in Moscow airport applying to various countries, including Norway, for asylum after leaking to the Guardian a massive cache of documents disclosing the shocking extent of US and British surveillance of digital communications.

Suspecting that Snowden might seek asylum in Scandinavia, the FBI wrote from the US embassy in Copenhagen to the police forces of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland to inform them that the US Department of Justice had charged Snowden with theft and espionage, and issued a provisional warrant for his arrest, according to documents released by Norways national broadcaster NRK.

The US Department of Justice is prepared to immediately draft the necessary paperwork to request the extradition of Snowden to the US from whichever country he travels to from Moscow, the letter, dated 27 June, states. The FBI expresses its gratitude for any assistance that can be provided on this important matter.

In a separate letter to the Norwegian foreign ministry on the same day, the US embassy in Oslo spelled out its request that the government of Norway should effectuate the return of Mr Snowden to the United States by way of denial of entry, deportation, expulsion or other legal means.

In a subsequent letter dated 4 July the embassy repeated its request that Snowden be arrested and extradited to the US under the 1977 extradition treaty between the two countries.

Snowdens lawyer Ben Wizner told NRK he suspects that the US sent similar documents to most of Europe and other countries at the time.

Snowden has been invited to Norway next week to receive the Bjrnson Prize from the Norwegian Academy of Literature and Freedom of Expression, but he decided not to travel because he could not receive guarantees from the Norwegian government that he would not be extradited, the academy told NRK.

The Norwegian government said it had not replied to the requests from the FBI and the US embassy in Oslo to extradite Snowden because he had not come to Norway.

Julian Assange, the whistleblowing journalist wanted by the US for leaking thousands of diplomatic and military communications, sought asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy in London three years ago because of his fears of extradition to the US should he comply with Swedish demands to travel to Stockholm for interrogation over sexual assault allegations. Sweden has declined to issue a guarantee of his safety, arguing that Assange would be adequately protected by human rights legislation.

Informed by the Guardian about the NRK revelations, Thomas Olsson, one of Julian Assanges legal team in Stockholm, said: This shows the Americans are very determined to get their hands on people that they think have damaged their security or a threat to security policy, and that includes of course Julian Assange.

A spokesperson for the Swedish police said the FBIs request was a matter for the Prosecution Authority, which stated: Normally the Swedish Prosecution Authority gets involved after a person is apprehended and the police need to contact a prosecutor in order to get the suspected under detention. The decision regarding extradition is taken by the Swedish government.

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FBI demanded Scandinavian countries arrest Edward Snowden ...

This crayfish was named for Edward Snowden. Zookeys

There are a few surefire signs you've become a celebrity -- hosting "Saturday Night Live," getting one of your songs parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic or having your privacy invaded by a TMZ reporter.

However, you're truly an icon if a scientist bestows your name upon a newly discovered species. Edward Snowden, who leaked National Security Agency documents to journalists, and music legend Elton John both received that honor when two separate scientists used their names to classify two new species of crustaceans.

Snowden was the first of the two to have his name used to classify a new crustacean, called Cherax snowden, according to a study published Monday in the journal ZooKeys. Another study published Tuesday in the same journal announced the discovery of a new amphipod called Leucothoe eltoni, named after John.

The first known specimens of the new Cherax snowden crayfish were discovered in 2006 by a collector in Indonesia who kept them for "ornamental purposes" because of their bright orange and "orange green" claw tips. Researchers didn't realize they were an unclassified species of crayfish until April of this year, when they received additional specimens from two retailers that sold freshwater invertebrates and were able to match their DNA to the specimens first acquired in 2006.

Independent researcher Christian Lukhaup, one of the researchers who discovered the crayfish, wrote in the study that he chose Snowden's name for this crustacean so he could honor "his extraordinary achievements in defense of justice and freedom." He also explained to The Washington Post that he felt Snowden was more worthy of such an honor than, say, Justin Bieber or the Sham-Wow guy.

"We have so many species named after other famous people who probably don't do so much for humanity," Lukhaup told the Post. "I wanted to show support for Edward Snowden. I think what he did is something very special."

Sir Elton John got the scientific naming honor thanks to this amphipod. James Thomas

The amphipod named after John can be found in coral reefs near Indonesia and the Philippines and also near the Hawaiian Islands, possibly when some of them hitched a ride on a US Navy transport from the Philippines to Pearl Harbor in 1992. The amphipod lives inside other reef invertebrates but without damaging its host.

James Darwin Thomas, a professor at the Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, says he had two reasons for using John's name to classify his amphipod.

"I named the species in honor of Sir Elton John because I have listened to his music in my lab during my entire scientific career," Thomas said in a statement released by the scientific journal publisher Pensoft Publishers. "So, when this unusual crustacean with a greatly enlarged appendage appeared under my microscope after a day of collecting, an image of the shoes Elton John wore as the Pinball Wizard came to mind."

Naming a new species of an animal isn't always intended to be an honor. NPR science writer and "Radiolab" host Robert Krulwich wrote a story in 2008 about how animal species get their names and noted that some species were named as a form of criticism, such as the worm species Khruschevia Ridicula named by a scientist who despised the Communist Party and a species of weed, Siegesbeckia, named by famed botanist Carl Linneaus as a way to get back at one of his critics.

There's probably a slime mold or leech species out there named after some scientist's ex.

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What do Edward Snowden and Elton John have in common ...

German researcher Christian Lukhaup is a pretty big Edward Snowden fan. So he decided to name a newspecies of crayfish after the former National Security Agencycontractor.

TheCherax snowden, whichdoesn't bear any particular resemblance to Snowden, lives in freshwater tributary creeks inWest Papau, Indonesia.Lukhaup and two other researchers described the crayfish in an article published Monday by the journal ZooKeys.

Lukhaup has named other species before, including earlier this year when he described the brightly coloredCherax pulcher in ZooKeys. In his latest paper,Lukhaup explained the new crayfish name, writingthat Snowden is an "American freedom fighter" and "the name is used as a noun in apposition."

[The newest crayfish species looks like a Lisa Frank creation]

Thetypical naming convention follows a genus-species construction, per International Code of Zoological Nomenclature guidelines, andresearchers who describe species to science for the first time have free rein on naming rights.

"After describing a couple new species, I thought about naming one after Edward Snowden because he really impressed me," Lukhaup, an independent researcher, told The Post. "We have so many species named after other famous people who probably don't do so much for humanity.I wanted to show support for Edward Snowden. I think what he did is something very special."

[A list of the well-known politicians who have defended Edward Snowden]

In 2013, Snowdenleaked top-secret document caches to three journalists (including a Washington Post reporter), which led toa series of articles revealingthe scope of the NSA's surveillance program. Snowden is a controversial figure in the United States, where some have called for leniency and lauded him as a hero, while others have cast him as a criminal who put American security at risk.

But he enjoys wide supportin Germany, where a Dresden square was named after the former contractor in June. Now, he gets his own crayfish.

[The global cult of Edward Snowden keeps growing]

"A crayfish is a powerful species; it's protected by a very hard shell, plus it has two very effectivechelae, the pincers, and even if they are tiny, [they]can hurt a lot,"Lukhaup said. "A crayfish lives under a rock. It has to hide from his enemies and he comes out in the night and he hunts, and he is protected by a shell."

Lukhaup first got his hands on one of the Cherax snowdens back in 2006, thanks to a collector fromKepala Burung who had some for "ornamental purposes." But it wasn't until thisyear when researchers acquired more specimens from an online German store selling freshwater invertebrates and a wholesale distributor in Indonesia. The researchers extracted DNA from muscle tissueas part of the process to learn more about the species.

Male specimens of snowden-the-crayfishexamined by Lukhaup measure nearly three to four inches in total length, while afemale specimen measures about three inches in total length. Their pincers are various shades of green with orange tips.

[Edward Snowden, after months of NSA revelations, says his missions accomplished]

Researchers write that large numbers of thesnowden crayfish are collected for the global aquarium trade and to feed local populations.

"According to local collectors, the populations of the species have been decreasing in the last few years," the study authors write. "Clearly, the continued collecting of these crayfish for the trade is not a sustainable practice, and if the popularity of the species continues, a conservation management plan will have to be developed, potentially including a captive breeding program."

Lukhaup said that pollution also puts the animals at risk, and that responsible exporting for the aquarium trade could actually be good for the species as "people will get interested and then hopefully protect them."

READ MORE:

The newest species of catfish is named after Greedo from Star Wars

This massive stingray might be the largest freshwater fish ever caught

The surprises still hidden in our oceans: A ruby red seadragon

Elahe Izadi is a general assignment national reporter for The Washington Post.

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Theres a new crayfish species and its named after Edward ...

The window for former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden to reach a plea agreement with the U.S. Justice Department is closing quickly.

That's what senior U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials tell us about the man whose leaks they call the worst in U.S. history. These officials say any momentum for these negotiations is gone; his lawyers have not even had conversations about such a deal for nearly a year with the U.S. attorney prosecuting the case. The officials say the chance that Snowden will be offered a plea deal in exchange for cooperation is now close to non-existent.

QuickTake USA's Big Brother

There are three main reasons. The U.S. intelligence community today believes it knows more about what Snowden took than it did in 2014. Back then, the intelligence assessments assumed that every piece of data Snowden's Web crawler programs scanned was also copied and downloaded to files he later took. U.S. intelligence officials tell us that a more accurate picture has emerged of what Snowden actually took, as opposed to what he just scanned.

Another reason Snowden's value to the U.S. governmenthas diminished is that most intelligence officials assume that whatever Snowden gave to journalists is also by now in the possession of the Chinese and Russian governments.

"Many people in government believe that the journalists who received Snowden's material are not capable of protecting it from a competent and committed state level adversary service," Ben Wittes, a national security law specialist at the Brookings Institution and an editor of the national security law blog Lawfare, told us. "Even if Snowden did not give the material to others, they argue it would have been ripe for the picking."

Finally, U.S. officials have asserted -- though without providing evidence to support the claim -- that state and terrorist adversaries have improved their methods of evading U.S. surveillance as a result of the Snowden leaks. In February, Mike Rogers, the NSA director, told a Washington think tank that the U.S. lost spying capabilities as a result of Snowden's disclosures.

All told, the value of Snowden's help -- to gauge and counter damage from the leaks -- has diminished considerably.

That's not to say there were not some holdouts. Just last month, the departing attorney general, Eric Holder, told Michael Isikoff that a "possibility exists" for a Snowden plea deal. Holder and President Obama in January 2014 publicly offered to at least discuss such the terms under which Snowden could return home.

Back then, Snowden's defense lawyers retained the services of Plato Cacheris, a lawyer renowned for negotiating plea agreements with individuals charged under the Espionage Act.

But neither side is posturing for a deal now. U.S. law enforcement officials tell us that Holder's successor, Loretta Lynch, has shown no interest in striking a plea bargain for Snowden. She said as much last month at the Aspen Security Dialogue in Colorado. When we asked her whether she would entertain such a bargain for Snowden, Lynch said: "His status is what it has always been: He's a federal fugitive. And if he chooses to come back, or if he is brought back, he will be accorded all the due process of every defendant in our criminal justice system."

That prospect doesn't sound too tempting to Snowden's team. One of his lawyers, Ben Wizner, who is also an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, told us: "Why would Edward Snowden plead guilty to felonies, give up his civil rights and walk into a prison when he is able from his place of exile to live a meaningful life and to participate in a rich and fulfilling debate he helped shape?"

And there is something to this. The New York Times in May produced a short video that showed how Snowden was able to address events all over the world from Moscow. Stories based on Snowden documents continue to drive the national security news cycle, the latest being a New York Times investigation on the willingness of AT&T to cooperate with the NSA's dragnet surveillance. Already his leaks have led Congress to end the government's bulk collection of telephone metadata and instead require the U.S. government to access such data from the telecom companies, which will be trusted with storing it.

And so far Snowden has been able to do this without experiencing isolation from his friends and family. The final scene of a 2014 documentary about Snowden, "Citizen Four," shows the former contractor in the kitchen of his Moscow apartment with his girlfriend, Lindsay Mills. This fact prompted Glenn Greenwald, a custodian of Snowden's documents and his fiercest defender in the press, to assert his source was able to defy the U.S. government and still "build a happy, healthy and fulfilling life for himself."

That is certainly the hope for Snowden and his many supporters. But with the prospect of a plea bargain diminishing, this hope is really a bet on Vladimir Putin. For two years the Russian president has renewed Snowden's temporary visa to stay in Russia, where he leads a rich digital life.That could continue so long as Snowden remains in Putin's good favor.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the authors on this story: Eli Lake at elake1@bloomberg.net Josh Rogin at joshrogin@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor on this story: Philip Gray at philipgray@bloomberg.net

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Snowden's Window for a Plea Deal Is Closing - Bloomberg View

We never bother to Google "Can you really delete a text message forever?" If we did, we'd discover a treasure trove of procedures for retrieving stuff we wish could vanish; some of those methods even include helpful YouTube videos to aid the technologically challenged.

Greg Schwem

Corporate comedian, Business emcee, Author, 'Text Me If You're Breathing'

In a very powerful exclusive interview, I recently had the privilege of speaking to an American hero, William Binney, NSA whistleblower.

When speaking out means sacrificing privacy, we lose points of view, and the quality of our democracy suffers. That should give all of us something to truly fear.

Brynne O'Neal

Brynne O'Neal is a Research and Program Associate at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.

The "security vs. liberty" strawman argument remains the rhetorical weapon of choice for National Security State officials terrified by the spread of public encryption technologies. They argue that, absent some form of technological "back door" to break into private encrypted communications, federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies will be blinded, unable to fend off potential terrorist attacks here at home.

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edward snowden: Pictures, Videos, Breaking News

Coordinates: 404130N 735832W / 40.6918N 73.9756W / 40.6918; -73.9756

The statue of Edward Snowden, called by its creators Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument 2.0,[1] was an ephemeral, illegally-installed public statue of Edward Snowden, an American whistleblower who leaked classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) and was charged with federal crimes as a result.[A] The bronze-like statue was placed in Fort Greene Park in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York City, on April 6, 2015. It was attached to a Doric column on the perimeter of the park's Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument,[B] a memorial and crypt which honors and inters the more than 11,500 American prisoners of war who died in the American Revolution while housed on British prison ships.[3][4][C]

Affixed atop an existing column, the statue was mounted by three anonymous artists and their helpers, who were dressed in white construction helmets and reflective vests in imitation of Parks Department workers,[6] early in the morning of April 6, then covered and taken down by NYC Parks officials later that day.[2][7] A hologram tribute to Snowden was subsequently installed after the statue was removed.[8]

The piece was conceived in 2014 by two artists from New York City and a sculptor from the West Coast. The sculptor volunteered his time and skill in creating the statue, with the piece eventually costing thousands of dollars to create over six months.[1][D] The artwork consisted of a 4-foot (1.2m) high, 100-pound (45kg) bust of Snowden on top of a Doric column, with a Plexiglas stand with Snowden's name on it.[2][9]

The piece was fused to Fort Greene Park's Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument[2] in the pre-dawn hours of April 6, 2015.[3] The sculptor recommended that the two artists create a bust after they had suggested a life-size statue of Snowden. The bust was made from Hydrocal, a plaster-like substance resembling bronze in appearance, which was then fixed to the pre-existing column with a non-damaging adhesive.[1] The piece was designed to be similar in style to other sculptures in the park.[E]

While it was very important to the artists that the piece be more than just a prop or papier-mache effigy, they also wished not to damage the surface to which the bust would be bound. After some debate, they decided on an adhesive that would firmly hold the head in place, yet could be removed without marring the monument.[1] The statue had Snowden's name at its base, consistent with the names on the bases of other sculptures in the park.[10]

The Guardian newspaper expressed the view that it also looked like the former White House press secretary Jay Carney and some people thought it looked more like him than Snowden (see image).[11][12]

Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument 2.0 is one of at least six sculptures and monuments to Snowden that have appeared around the world.[F] In October 2014, a statue of Snowden appeared in Union Square, Manhattan, near Henry Kirke Brown's Abraham Lincoln statue.[13] It was shown in conjunction with the Art in Odd Places festival and was sculpted by Jim Dessicino, a Delaware artist. One observer of that statue compared Snowden to Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times.[G]

The creators of the statue, who were dubbed "guerrilla artists" by some in the media,[15][16] released a statement to the Animal New York website detailing their motivations and documenting the statue's installation[1] in exchange for anonymity.[H] In their statement, the artists said:

We have updated this monument to highlight those who sacrifice their safety in the fight against modern-day tyrannies. It would be a dishonor to those memorialized here to not laud those who protect the ideals they fought for, as Edward Snowden has by bringing the NSA's 4th-Amendment-violating surveillance programs to light. All too often, figures who strive to uphold these ideals have been cast as criminals rather than in bronze...Our goal is to bring a renewed vitality to the space and prompt even more visitors to ponder the sacrifices made for their freedoms. We hope this inspires them to reflect upon the responsibility we all bear to ensure our liberties exist long into the future."[3][18][19]

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Statue of Edward Snowden - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Post reporter Barton Gellman discusses how his exclusive interview with Edward Snowden came about and whether the former NSA contractor would ever want to return to the United States. (Jeff Simon/The Washington Post)

MOSCOW The familiar voice on the hotel room phone did not waste words.

What time does your clock say, exactly? he asked.

He checked the reply against his watch and described a place to meet.

Ill see you there, he said.

Edward Joseph Snowden emerged at the appointed hour, alone, blending into a light crowd of locals and tourists. He cocked his arm for a handshake, then turned his shoulder to indicate a path. Before long he had guided his visitor to a secure space out of public view.

During more than 14 hours of interviews, the first he has conducted in person since arriving here in June, Snowden did not part the curtains or step outside. Russia granted him temporary asylum on Aug.1, but Snowden remains a target of surpassing interest to the intelligence services whose secrets he spilled on an epic scale.

Late this spring, Snowden supplied three journalists, including this one, with caches of top-secret documents from the National Security Agency, where he worked as a contractor. Dozens of revelations followed, and then hundreds, as news organizations around the world picked up the story. Congress pressed for explanations, new evidence revived old lawsuits and the Obama administration was obliged to declassify thousands of pages it had fought for years to conceal.

Taken together, the revelations have brought to light a global surveillance system that cast off many of its historical restraints after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Secret legal authorities empowered the NSA to sweep in the telephone, Internet and location records of whole populations. One of the leaked presentation slides described the agencys collection philosophy as Order one of everything off the menu.

Six months after the first revelations appeared in The Washington Post and Britains Guardian newspaper, Snowden agreed to reflect at length on the roots and repercussions of his choice. He was relaxed and animated over two days of nearly unbroken conversation, fueled by burgers, pasta, ice cream and Russian pastry.

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Edward Snowden, after months of NSA revelations, says his ...

Edward Joseph Ed Snowden (* 21. Juni 1983 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina)[1] ist ein US-amerikanischer Whistleblower. Seine Enthllungen gaben Einblicke in das Ausma der weltweiten berwachungs- und Spionagepraktiken von Geheimdiensten berwiegend der Vereinigten Staaten und Grobritanniens. Diese lsten so im Sommer 2013 die NSA-Affre aus.

Er wurde dafr mehrfach von nichtstaatlichen Organisationen ausgezeichnet und fr den Friedensnobelpreis nominiert. Am 8. Mai 2014 beschloss der NSA-Untersuchungsausschuss des Deutschen Bundestags im Auftrag aller Fraktionen, ihn als Zeugen zu laden. Offen blieb, wo er aussagen wird.[2]

Edward Snowden ist ein ehemaliger Agent, der als technische Fachkraft fr die US-amerikanischen Geheimdienste CIA, NSA und DIA gearbeitet hat.[3] Bis Mai 2013 arbeitete er im Auftrag der NSA als Systemadministrator fr das Beratungsunternehmen Booz Allen Hamilton im Kunia Regional SIGINT Operations Center. Im Rahmen seiner Ttigkeit hatte er Zugang zu Informationen, die als streng geheim eingestuft waren, u.a. ber US-amerikanische Programme zur berwachung der weltweiten Internetkommunikation (PRISM und Boundless Informant) sowie das noch umfassendere britische berwachungsprogramm Tempora. Snowden bermittelte diese Informationen an die Filmemacherin Laura Poitras und an den Guardian-Journalisten Glenn Greenwald, der sie im Juni 2013 ohne Angabe einer Quelle in Teilen verffentlichte.[4][5]

Am 9.Juni 2013 gab Snowden in Hongkong seine Identitt gegenber der ffentlichkeit preis.[6] Am 14.Juni 2013 erwirkte das FBI mit einer Strafanzeige u.a. wegen Spionage einen Haftbefehl gegen ihn.[7][8] Snowden konnte Hongkong verlassen, sa dann aber geraume Zeit im Transitbereich eines internationalen Flughafens in Moskau fest. Whrend seines dortigen Aufenthalts wurde auf diplomatischer Ebene um sein weiteres Schicksal gestritten.

Am 1. August 2013 vermeldete die Presse, dass Snowden von Russland Asyl erhalten habe[9]. Nach Ablauf von fnf Jahren knne er einen Antrag auf die russische Staatsangehrigkeit stellen.[10] Am 7. August 2014 gab Snowdens Anwalt Anatolij Kutscherena bekannt, dass Snowden eine Aufenthaltserlaubnis fr drei Jahre in Russland bekommen werde, diese gelte seit dem 1. August 2014.[11] In Deutschland wird Snowden von dem Menschenrechtsanwalt Wolfgang Kaleck vertreten.[12]

Edward Snowden wuchs zunchst in Wilmington, North Carolina, auf.[13] 1999 zog er mit seiner Familie nach Ellicott City, Maryland. Snowden, der noch eine ltere Schwester hat, ist der Sohn eines ehemaligen Beamten der US-Kstenwache und einer leitenden Angestellten des United States District Court des Bundesstaates Maryland.[1] Bis zu seiner Flucht nach Hongkong Ende Mai 2013 lebte er mit seiner Freundin auf der zum US-Bundesstaat Hawaii gehrenden Insel Oahu.[14]

Von 1999 bis 2001 und 2004 bis 2005 studierte Snowden Informatik am Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland. Zwischen den beiden Phasen seines Studiums meldete er sich im Jahr 2003 fr die U.S.Army, um im Irak-Krieg zu dienen.[15] Snowden verbrachte vier Monate in der United States Army Reserve, wo er als Rekrut der US-amerikanischen Special Forces einen 14-wchigen Trainingskurs absolvierte. Diesen konnte er nicht beenden, da er ausgemustert wurde, nachdem er sich bei einem Trainingsunfall beide Beine gebrochen hatte. Whrend der zweiten Phase seines Studiums arbeitete er ab 2004 als Wachmann fr eine NSA-Einrichtung an der University of Maryland. 2005 brach er sein Informatikstudium ab.[1]

Noch im Jahr 2005 wechselte Snowden zum Geheimdienst CIA, bei dem er als Techniker im Bereich der IT-Sicherheit aufgrund seines Talents relativ schnell aufsteigen konnte.[15] 2007 entsandte ihn die CIA im Rahmen dieser Ttigkeit an die diplomatische Vertretung der USA in Genf.[16] Wegen seiner Sicherheitseinstufung habe er, so Snowden, bereits zu dieser Zeit in groem Umfang Zugriff auf geheime Dokumente und Informationen gehabt. Da diese aber vor allem Menschen und nicht Systeme betrafen und er keine Menschenleben habe gefhrden wollen, habe er von einer Verffentlichung abgesehen.[13][6] Nach Angaben von US-Regierungsvertretern vom Oktober 2013 fiel Snowdens Verhalten seinem Vorgesetzten bereits 2009 auf, als er im Rahmen seiner Arbeit fr die CIA in Genf versuchte, Zugriff auf geheime Computerdateien zu erlangen. Demnach entschloss sich die CIA daraufhin, Snowden in die USA zurckzuschicken, was jedoch ansonsten keine weiteren Konsequenzen hatte.[17][18]

Anschlieend arbeitete er zunchst als freier technischer Mitarbeiter bei Dell[19] in einer NSA-Einrichtung auf einer Basis der U.S.Army in Japan.[4]

Noch im Jahr 2009 wechselte Snowden zu der Beratungsfirma Booz Allen Hamilton, ber die er als externer Mitarbeiter in einem NSA-Bro auf Hawaii als Systemadministrator ttig war.[20][21] Sein dortiges Leben vor der Verffentlichung der PRISM-Dokumente bezeichnet Snowden als sehr komfortabel. Er habe einen sicheren Job und ein Haus auf Hawaii gehabt sowie ein Jahresgehalt von etwa 122.000 US-Dollar (ca. 90.000 Euro) erhalten. Sein Spitzenverdienst in der Zeit davor habe bei 200.000 US-Dollar (ca.153.000 Euro) pro Jahr gelegen.[22]

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Edward Snowden Wikipedia