Frequently asked questions | Courage Snowden

Who is Edward Snowden and what did he do?

Edward Snowden is a 30-year-old whistleblower and former NSA contractor. He left his home in Hawaii in May 2013, travelling to Hong Kong to leak documents to journalist Glenn Greenwald. At the time of his departure from the US, Snowden worked as a Booz Allen Hamilton systems analyst doing contract work for the NSA. The documents he revealed detailed secret NSA programs and capabilities that have been and continue to be used to collect and store personal communications both within the US and abroad.

Documents revealed by Snowden show that the US intelligence community and its partners including the UK, Israeli and German spy agencies are involved in warrantless mass surveillance of citizens domestically and abroad. Numerous documents show that, beyond the espionage performed for counterterrorism purposes, the NSA and its partners carried out political and industrial espionage, including the bugging of EU and UN buildings and the collection of phone and email data from Brazils Ministry of Mines and Energy. To read more about the revelations, see the Revelations page.

Despite the many millions of people that the transnational surveillance systems affect, these have been constructed without the knowledge, authorisation or scrutiny of the elected legislative bodies of the US and its partner countries much less the public. Snowden felt that this important information should be democratised:

Im just another guy who sits there day to day in the office, watches whats happening and goes, This is something thats not our place to decide, the public needs to decide whether these programs and policies are right or wrong.' (Snowden, June 2013)

Read more about the investigations, transparency measures, legislative reform, complaints and public awareness generated due to Snowdens revelations on our Impact page.

As stated by Glenn Greenwald in various places, Edward Snowden gave documents to journalists for the express purpose of allowing them to vet and analyse the documents before releasing what they deem appropriate.

Edward Snowdens revelations of secret mass surveillance by the NSA and its national security-sector contractors have greatly embarrassed the US government. Attempts to extradite him to stand trial in the United States come against a background of systemic overclassification of information, increasing secrecy in the courts and a harsh crackdown on national security journalism, centred around investigations of unauthorised leaks. The Obama administration has prosecuted more people under the Espionage Act for leaks to the press than all previous administrations combined.

Edward Snowden has been charged by the US government with theft of government property (18 USC 641), unauthorised communication of national defense information (18 USC 793(d)) and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorised person (18 USC 798(a)(3)).

Edward Snowden has been charged by the US government with theft and two charges under the 1917 Espionage Act. These charges together incur a maximum 30-year prison sentence and, as happened in Chelsea Mannings case, it is possible that a second set of charges might be added at a later date. There is no public interest or whistleblower defence allowed for charges under the Espionage Act. The US has also submitted extradition requests to numerous countries and taken action to pressure other countries from granting him asylum.

For more information on the threats facing Edward Snowden, read our Threats overview section.

Whilst Snowden could have voiced concerns under the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act, he would only have been able to present complaints that the law deems of urgent concern to Congress. The US Congress has been briefed on warrantless wiretapping before and failed to respond, as evidenced by an NSA Inspector General review of surveillance activities, which indicates 60 US Congress members had already been briefed [see page 23 of the corresponding pdf] on top secret programs such as STELLARWIND. The same document describes how, immediately following the public exposure of President George W. Bushs warrantless wiretapping program, new orders were signed which essentially gave NSA the same authority to collect bulk internet metadata that it had under the PSP [Presidents Surveillance Program].

In an interview with Glenn Greenwald, Snowden explained that while he did talk to people about abuses he saw, he eventually realised that the wrongdoing he witnessed was something that should be determined by the public. Snowden later described his attempts to discuss his concerns internally in some detail in an interview with the Washington Post.

In addition, Snowden was aware of the significant risks of voicing such concerns through official channels; not only could he have been persecuted for speaking up, but the issues of concern may have continued to be hidden from public view. Thomas Drake, a former senior NSA executive, wrote in the Guardian about his own experience with the Act: By following protocol, you get flagged just for raising issues. Youre identified as someone they dont like, someone not to be trusted.

Everyone has the right to seek and to be granted asylum outside of his or her country of nationality on the basis that they are unable or unwilling to return because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, as stated in Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The right to asylum is governed by a large body of international human rights and refugee law treaties; for example, when the government of Ecuador granted asylum to Julian Assange it quoted a list of 16 conventions and treaties under which his right to asylum was mandated. International customary law also includes the principles of non-refoulement and safe passage. The 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees and its 1967 Protocol prohibits states from returning refugees in any manner whatsoever to countries or territories in which their lives or freedom may be threatened (non-refoulment), and is binding on all states.

Asylum is granted to people who are at risk of or fear persecution for their political views, or who are charged with political offences. Edward Snowden has been indicted with two charges under the Espionage Act 1917, which falls under the definition of political offences. Following his whistleblowing about secret NSA mass surveillance, the US government has retaliated in unprecedented ways: unsealing a Grand Jury indictment for Snowden prior to his detention in custody; cancelling his passport; and even causing a diplomatic incident by forcing down the presidential plane of Evo Morales on suspicion that Snowden was on it. It is clear that this level of retaliation may endanger Mr Snowdens safety, integrity and even his life.

In August 2013 Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning was sentenced to 35 years on Espionage Act charges for passing classified information to the media. During her trial she was legally found to have suffered unlawful treatment in pre-trial detention. All these factors taken together make it clear that Edward Snowden is at risk of persecution and unfair trial in the United States.

When Edward Snowden reached Moscow airport from Hong Kong on 23 June 2013 the US authorities announced they had revoked his US passport and he was subsequently stranded in the transit area of Sheremetyevo airport. The District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia (the court with jurisdiction over the US Department of Defense and the CIA, and where the US government brings most of its national security cases) quickly began sending pre-emptive extradition requests to a number of countries, prior to Mr Snowden being present on those countries territory, to block any attempt by him to travel to or through them. Julian Assange later explained why there were so many asylum requests: We were involved in filling out asylum requests for Edward Snowden formally and informally to around 20 different nations. Some because we thought there was a decent chance, others because we wanted to show the public the refusal, to generate some public debate and awareness about how the government is behaving.

For more detail about Snowdens asylum requests, read the Asylum requests page.

As a publishing organisation, WikiLeaks campaigns for greater protection of journalistic sources and has taken a leading role in assisting Edward Snowden. At his request, WikiLeaks stepped in to use its legal expertise and experience to help Mr Snowden get out of Hong Kong safely. WikiLeaks also provided a legal adviser to accompany him at all times to ensure his safety and assist in making asylum requests to more than two dozen countries. Sarah Harrison stayed with Mr Snowden for four months until she was sure that he was settled and free from the interference of any government.

Edward Snowden was granted temporary asylum by Russia on 1 August 2013 for a period of one year ending 31 July 2014, which includes the right to work and travel within the Russian Federation. In August 2014, Edward Snowden was granted a three-year residence permit, which also allows him to travel abroad for periods of up to three months. Mr Snowden is currently at an undisclosed secure location.

Find out more about Edwards current status on the Asylum in Russia page.

Theres plenty you can do! Already local and international events to support Edward Snowden and to highlight the issues his whistleblowing has raised have been organised around the world. We will post details of the latest Edward Snowden-related events here, so you can keep an eye out for events being held in your area. We will also post petitions that you can sign. If you enjoy writing, why not compose an open letter that can be shared with other supporters for a more targeted campaign?

Financial support for Edward Snowdens legal defence is vital and making a donation to Courage (formerly the Journalistic Source Protection Defence Fund) is quick, simple and one of the most effective ways in which you can help. And see our Take action! section for Five easy actions you can do, both to support Edward Snowden and to protect your own privacy.

Software developers, cryptographers and hacktivists are constantly working on methods to help people maintain their privacy online. There are methods available by which you can protect your web browsing data, email communications, instant messaging, SMS, file storage, and more. We are working on a Privacy enhancing technologies page check back soon for more information!

Courage is a trust, audited by accountants Derek Rothera & Company in the UK, for the purpose of providing legal defence and campaign aid to journalistic sources. It is overseen by an unrenumerated committee of trustees. Edward Snowden is its first recipient. The terms of the fund and its trustees can be obtained from Derek Rothera & Company.

The site is commissioned by the trustees of Courage to provide information on the threats Edward Snowden faces, how he is being protected, and what you can do to support him.

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Frequently asked questions | Courage Snowden