Snowden Says ‘No Doubt’ NSA Engages in Industrial Spying

There is no doubt the U.S. engages in industrial espionage, Edward Snowden said in an interview in which he also asserted that he worked alone in disclosing mass surveillance by the National Security Agency.

The former U.S. government contractor, now a fugitive in Russia, told a German television station that if a company such as Germanys Siemens AG were found to have information useful to the U.S. government, the NSA would use it, he said.

Snowden dismissed accusations from members of Congress that he acted as a foreign agent.

I worked alone; I didnt need anybodys help, Snowden said in the interview with German broadcaster ARD. He said the wealth of data he took is now in the hands of journalists and that the U.S. public benefited from knowing what the government was doing.

If Im a traitor, who did I betray? Snowden asked.

Big Data Meets Big Surveillance

Snowden, 30, faces charges of theft and espionage and is in Russia on temporary asylum. Attorney General Eric Holder said last week that if Snowden wanted to return to the U.S. and plead guilty, prosecutors would be willing to negotiate.

U.S. legislators including Representative Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, have suggested that Snowden had outside help to lay bare the workings of U.S. intelligence.

Former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden poses for a photo during an interview at... Read More

Former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden poses for a photo during an interview at an undisclosed location in Moscow, in December 2013. Close

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Snowden Says ‘No Doubt’ NSA Engages in Industrial Spying