Snowden makes surprise TED appearance, called ‘hero’ by inventor of web

Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver Tuesday, telling the audience via video chat that some of the most important reporting on the National Security Agency has yet to come.

Snowden, who according to TED organizer Chris Anderson spoke from an undisclosed location in Russia, said he was comfortable with the decisions he made because there has been no evidence of a specific instance of harm, as a result of his leaking of documents.

Anderson then brought Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, on stage, and asked if he thought Snowden was a traitor or a hero, Wired.com reported. Berners-Lee called Snowden in short, a hero.

Snowden said he would welcome U.S. amnesty, but said he wont stop working in the public interest just to benefit myself.

Snowdens appearance comes a week after he appeared via video conference at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. There, Snowden said the NSA was setting fire to the future of the Internet, calling the festivals attendees firefighters.

The former NSA contractor fled the United States for Russia, where he has received temporary asylum, after leaking documents disclosing details of the U.S. government's surveillance of the Internet and telephone communications.

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Snowden makes surprise TED appearance, called 'hero' by inventor of web