Biography. Edward Snowden
Former CIA employee Edward Joseph Snowden reported facts known to him regarding a parallel civilization on Earth and UFOs. According to documents that Edward copied to the CIA and became available back in 2013, the US government has long known that another species of humanoids lives on Earth parallel to humans, and UFOs really exist and are controlled by species more advanced than humanity. These species are not alien, but our earthly ones, only more highly developed. They have lived here for billions of years and are far ahead of humanity in development. The so-called “extremophiles” have been known to the US government for a long time, dating back to the 90s of the last century, but information about them is still classified as “Secret”.
Information about their existence was found in more than 1.7 million copied NSA files. It was kept in documents of high military secrecy dedicated to anomalous life forms on Earth. According to disclosed information from the Pentagon's special directorate DARPA, which is responsible for secret military developments, these humanoids exist in conditions of extreme temperatures, in the area of hydrothermal vents underground and under polar ice, for which they received the code name “extremalophiles.”
According to Edward Snowden, US military researchers are confident that they represent a more intelligent species than Homo Sapiens, since their development was devoid of wars and disasters that occurred on the surface of the Earth.
The Earth's mantle is considered a habitat for extremophiles. Extremophiles can live in a variety of temperatures and are able to thrive and develop intelligence. According to American scientists, “this is the only place where conditions have been more or less stable for billions of years.”
It is noted that DARPA continues to study a mysterious species of humanoids under conditions of increased secrecy.
Unidentified flying objects
According to Edward Snowden, quoted by Chronicle.su, “the highest echelons of power do not know what to do with UFOs, and are feeding citizens the official version that they are all just weather balloons or natural phenomena.” But the documents say that UFOs are real. Transport ships of this civilization fly not only in the Earth's atmosphere, but have been seen on the seabed, in hydrothermal vents, volcanoes and directly in solar orbit.
The CIA stores data from tracking systems and deep-sea sonars, but they have the status of state secrets and even scientists do not have access to this data about these objects.
The President of the United States receives daily briefings about the activities of the civilization of extremophiles and the movement of its devices - UFOs. Analysts believe that their technology has advanced so far that we have little chance of surviving any potential war with them. There is an opinion that we are just ants from their point of view and there is a small chance that they will no longer pay attention to us.
But the military is also considering the possibility of aggression. The current contingency plan includes a plan to detonate nuclear weapons in deep caves to 'seal' the enemy in hopes of destroying their communications, which will prevent further attacks from deep within the earth."
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Why he changed his mind about the iPhone.
The name of this honest guy appeared in the press in June 2013. Exactly then former CIA officer told the whole truth about the dirty dealings of the US and British governments.
Since then, his life has been closely monitored in the press. Funny, considering the fact that this whole mess started with his fight for non-intervention into private life.
That's why people remember him at all
Edward Snowden was an employee of the American CIA and was moving well up the career ladder. Everything would be fine, but access to secret information screaming about the violation of the rights of citizens did not give him peace. And Edward couldn't keep it to himself.
In 2009, the young idealist leaves the CIA and becomes an employee of the National Security Agency. And in 2013 he began to communicate closely with publicists of leading publications, such as TheGuardian And WashingtonPost. In the summer of the same year, Edward arranged with their help a loud exposure of the spy system PRISM.
According to Snowden, with its help, the governments of the two countries are resorting to total control of citizens. Not to be unfounded, the smart guy grabbed a number of secret materials on the work of the American intelligence services. And the very next day he went on the run.
Snowden hasn't finished college yet
While still a student, Edward tried to score the required number of points to receive a certificate, but something went wrong. Therefore, he received his higher education in absentia and only in 2011.
In 2003, the guy was drafted into the army, but things didn’t go smoothly there either. While still in training, he manages to break both legs, after which he is commissioned into civilian life.
Despite his lack of experience and professional qualifications, he is hired by the National Security Agency. The guy does a great job and very soon gets a good position in the CIA. Where he subsequently becomes disappointed in the honesty of the intelligence services.
Edward was reluctantly given shelter in Russia
After the loud revelation, Snowden realized that he would not be forgiven for this so easily. Therefore, I quickly moved to the transit zone of Sheremetyevo airport and began to look for political refuge.
There was nowhere to run further - his American passport had already been revoked, and imprisonment for up to 30 years awaited him in the States. From 27 countries His request was responded to only in Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua. Edward was slightly disappointed. But on July 1, a response came from Putin.
A month later, Snowden was already registered with the Russian Migration Service. But on the condition that he will no longer harm his homeland. And in August 2014 the guy got three-year residence permit, which allows him to travel even outside the country.
The guy never gets tired of receiving titles and awards
During his year of living in Russia, Snowden not only found work supporting a large website, but also became “Person of the Year” several times. This is exactly what viewers of the Euronews TV channel and readers of the Guardian newspaper dubbed the guy.
And on April 7, 2014, Snowden was awarded the Ridenoir Award for his courage in the name of truth. And in September of the same year the guy received "Alternative Nobel Prize". It is awarded for particularly exemplary actions, and, apparently, Snowden won them over with his determination.
But the American authorities are in no hurry to praise. For example, Hillary Clinton does not recommend returning a criminal and securities thief to the country. And Senator Bernie Sanders even promises to imprison Snowden and shut down all the spy programs voiced by him. Well, only when Bernie is elected president :)
One former CIA officer, Robert Baer, said that this was not the case in his time. And he blamed the incompetent intelligence services for what happened. Some even believed that Snowden was a Russian intelligence agent, but Edward said that this was complete nonsense.
He handed over all the secret materials to journalists and came to Moscow with an absolutely clear conscience. But the Americans hardly believed him.
American authorities offered a deal on his passport
A lawyer has taken on the role of defending Snowden's rights. Anatoly Kucherena. It was he who told reporters about the curious deal that American diplomats offered him.
After Snowden fled to Moscow from Hong Kong, his American passport was revoked. That is why the Sheremetyevo transit zone became his temporary prison.
To transport Edward to Washington, American diplomats offered to open his passport, but only one way: Russia - America. To which Snowden's lawyer replied: "Either you open the passport without restrictions, or you don't open it at all."
What the world looks like according to Snowden
Of course, most of the information flows to the intelligence services through Cell phones. All geographical movements, calls, mail, voice acting of what is currently happening to the owner of the gadget. Anything, even a photo online. In short, they invested heavily in the system.
In addition, every purchase, every trip abroad, every email subject and every file on a personal computer is tracked. Snowden threatened to reveal the addresses of all government data interception points. And also name the names of large American television companies that supply intelligence agencies with millions of recordings per day.
The British government commented simply: “Everything is strictly necessary and within the bounds of the law.”
Edward is dissatisfied with human rights in Russia
Having settled in Russia, Snowden found out that nowhere can do without problems. In particular, he was dissatisfied with human rights in the area Internet sphere.
The Kremlin responded that he had the right to such an opinion. But now Edward sees that the situation is improving, and the human rights movement is gaining momentum.
Even with limited contact with his homeland, Edward finds ways to lecture at Princeton University. And Scottish students from Glasgow even chose Snowden as their rector.
The guy was the hero of books and films
Snowden's action inspired many idealists. Some, after close communication with him, even decided to publish a book or make a film, as the journalist did Laura Poitras.
In the very first days of release, the film “CITIZENFOUR. Snowden's Truth" attracted more than 10 thousand spectators to the cinema. In addition, the film became the highest-grossing non-fiction project of the year and was even nominated for an Oscar.
The same Snowden became the prototype for the book of his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena. The first book of the trilogy was called “The Time of the Octopus,” and its film adaptation was entrusted to the famous director Oliver Stone. So Edward no longer has to worry about his mark in history.
Snowden has a very strained relationship with the FBI
The future special agent was born in 1983 in Elizabeth City. The head of the family served in the North Carolina Coast Guard, and the mother devoted herself to law. Soon the couple divorced, Edward and sister Jessica remained to live with their mother. The boy spent his childhood in his homeland and graduated from high school there.
In 1999, the family moved to Maryland. The young man became a college student, studied computer science, and prepared to enter the university in preparatory courses. But poor health prevented him from completing his education in a timely manner; the young man was absent from classes for several months. Studying continued remotely via the Internet until 2011, after which Edward received a master's degree from the University of Liverpool.
In 2004, Snowden served in the US Armed Forces. He dreamed of going to Iraq and “helping people free themselves from oppression.” During the training, the recruit broke both legs and was demobilized.
Working in the intelligence services
A new stage in Snowden’s biography was work in the national security agencies of the state. The young man's career began guarding a facility at the University of Maryland. He received the highest level of clearance not only for classified information, but also for intelligence information. He was then transferred to an NSA base in Hawaii as a systems administrator.
Edward's further place of service was the CIA, where he dealt with information security issues. For two years in Geneva, he provided computer security under diplomatic cover. During this period, Snowden experienced great disappointment in the activities of domestic intelligence services; he was especially struck by the ways in which employees carried out recruitment and obtained the necessary information. Since 2009, Snowden began collaborating with consulting companies that worked in conjunction with the NSA, including military contractors.
Disclosure of Information
What he saw in Switzerland freed Snowden from illusions and made him think about the benefits of such government actions. Subsequent activities only confirmed his determination and the need to take active action. He hoped that the arrival of President Barack Obama in the White House would improve the situation, but it only got worse.
Snowden began to act decisively in 2013, when he sent an anonymous message by e-mail to director and film producer Laura Poitras. The letter contained information that the author had important information. The next decisive step was an encrypted communication with the Englishman Glenn Greenwald from the Guardian publishing house and the author of articles for the Washington Post, Barton Gellman. According to available information, Snowden handed over almost two hundred thousand files classified as “secret” to them. Since the end of spring, these two publicists began to receive materials from Edward under the PRISM program created by American intelligence. The essence of the state program was the secret collection of information about citizens around the world. Every year, the system intercepted one and a half billion telephone conversations and electronic messages, and also recorded the movements of billions of people who owned mobile phones. According to the head of information intelligence, the system worked on completely legal grounds, which allowed monitoring the network traffic of users of certain Internet resources. Potentially, any US citizen could be “under the hood”; foreigners were of particular interest. The system made it possible to view mail, photos, listen to video chats and voice messages, and also obtain details of personal life from social networks.
Exposure
The National Security Service has launched an investigation into the leak of information to the press about the operation of the PRISM system. After the disclosure, many companies, in particular Googl, began checking information encryption systems to prevent further leakage of information about their users. Previously, this Internet company, like many others, encrypted data only in transit, and it was stored unprotected on servers. The American organization of human rights activists has filed several lawsuits in the courts to declare such data collection illegal. The European Union soon responded that they were also planning measures to protect information.
A technician revealed information about the surveillance of a billion people in dozens of countries. His list included large Internet and cellular communications companies that collaborated with intelligence agencies on a daily basis. Edward justified his actions by arguing for openness and respect for the legitimate interests of society.
The NSA director accused Snowden of obtaining information not only concerning US intelligence, but also that of Great Britain. And the Pentagon said that it has information about many military secret operations. A version arose that Snowden was technically unable to carry out such an operation alone, and there were words about probable support from Russian intelligence. However, there was no evidence of this, and Edward denied assistance from other states. The accused himself understood perfectly well that he would have to “suffer for his actions.” He sacrificed a quiet life in Hawaii to speak out against the violation of people's freedoms through total surveillance. He did not consider the act heroic and did not put money at the forefront of everything: “I don’t want to live in a world where there is no privacy.”
Escape abroad
Almost immediately, Snowden left the country and flew to Hong Kong, where he continued communicating with journalists. Two weeks later, police showed up at his home in Hawaii. The Washington Post and The Guardian immediately published the materials they received, exposing the PRISM system. In Hong Kong, he recorded a video interview with journalists and openly declared himself. Next, Edward planned to leave for Iceland, believing that the country best supports freedom of speech; staying in Hong Kong remained dangerous. Russian diplomats invited him to move to Russia. The country's leadership agreed to provide a three-year residence permit on condition that he ceased his subversive work.
Personal life
Due to the security measures taken, the personal life of the whistleblower remains secret to the general public. Before his name became known to the whole world, Edward lived on one of the Hawaiian islands with Lindsay Mills. There is a version that the couple’s civil marriage continues and they live together in a rented apartment in Moscow.
Snowden is passionate about Asian culture, particularly Japanese. He became interested in anime and martial arts while working at one of the US military bases in Japan. Then the computer specialist began to study the language of the Land of the Rising Sun.
How does he live today?
In his homeland, Snowden was put on the international wanted list and accused in absentia of espionage and theft of state property. Today his exact location is unknown. Russia extended the disgraced agent’s right to stay on its territory until 2020. The CIA director is confident that Snowden is obliged to answer to the American court, but he does not make contact with American diplomacy. The security specialist is ready to return to America if he were sure that the proceedings would be open to the general public.
The famous whistleblower does not lead a closed life. His face can often be seen at various conferences on human rights and computer technology. Many countries invite him to give lectures or attend music and cultural festivals. For such video communications, Snowden receives good fees; today their amounts are close to his earnings in America. But Edward himself never tires of repeating that life in Russia is expensive, and since he did not take anything with him when leaving his homeland, he has to earn money himself. Even without knowing the language, over the years Snowden has visited many parts of Russia, but he still spends most of his time on the global network.
The controversial figure of a technical specialist aroused the interest of game developers, of which he became the hero. British journalist Greenwald dedicated the book “Nowhere to Hide” to him, and in 2016, American director Oliver Stone presented a film about the life of the agent.
Who Is Edward Snowden?
Edward Snowden is a 31 year old US citizen, former Intelligence Community officer and whistleblower. The documents he revealed provided a vital public window into the NSA and its international intelligence partners’ secret mass surveillance programs and capabilities. These revelations generated unprecedented attention around the world on privacy intrusions and digital security, leading to a global debate on the issue.
Snowden worked in various roles within the US Intelligence Community, including serving undercover for the CIA overseas. He most recently worked as an infrastructure analyst at the NSA, through a Booz Allen Hamilton contract, when he left his home and family in Hawaii to blow the whistle in May 2013. After traveling to Hong Kong, Snowden revealed documents to the American public on the NSA's mass surveillance programs, which were shown to be operating without any public oversight and outside the limits of the US Constitution. The US government has charged Snowden with theft of government property, and two further charges under the 1917 Espionage Act. Each charge carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
With the US pursuing his extradition, Snowden is now in Russia, where he was formally granted three years' residency from 1 August 2014, after a year of temporary asylum in Russia ended on 31st July 2014. Journalists continue to publish documents from Snowden that reveal the secret and unaccountable systems of modern global surveillance.
Quick facts
For quick access to information on all aspects concerning Edward Snowden and his case, please read our page.
Edward Snowden: Sam Adams Award
Snowden talks at the Sam Adams Award ceremony in October 2013 about the secret surveillance he revealed and its dangers to democracy.
Edward Snowden is an American technical assistant, known throughout the world for publishing a number of sensational revelations by US intelligence agencies regarding mass surveillance of citizens. Since 2013, his name has appeared on the front pages of the media, as information about violations by the National Security Agency (NSA) of the rights and freedoms of millions of Americans and Europeans amazed the world community.
Recently, Snowden has been living in Russia, where he was granted political asylum, since the United States put him on the international wanted list, charging him in absentia with theft and disclosure of state secrets, which is regarded as a threat to the country's security.
Childhood and youth
Edward Snowden was born on June 21, 1983 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. His parents, coast guard Lonnie and lawyer Elizabeth Snowden, are divorced. Edward is the youngest child in the family; he has an older sister, Jessica, who works as a lawyer at the Federal Judicial Center in Washington.
Snowden spent his childhood and youth in his hometown, where the future CIA and NSA employee received his secondary education. In 1999, Snowden's family moved to Maryland. There Edward entered Anne Arundel College, where he took preparatory courses for entering the university.
However, due to health reasons, he never completed the course of study - he had to continue his studies remotely, which did not prevent Snowden from receiving a master's degree from the University of Liverpool in 2011.
In 2004, Edward Snowden joined the US Armed Forces as a reservist, from where he was discharged a few months after receiving serious injuries to both legs. From that moment on, Snowden’s biography was directly related to computer science, programming and IT technologies, in which the guy showed professionalism and special talent, despite the lack of formal confirmation of the specialist’s qualifications.
Service in the CIA
Edward Snowden's rise up the career ladder was confident and rapid. The specialist received his first professional skills at the NSA, working in the security structure of a secret facility at the University of Maryland. A few years later, Snowden was hired by the CIA and, under diplomatic cover, was sent to Geneva as the US permanent representative to the UN. There, his responsibilities included ensuring the security of computer networks. According to Edward, working in Switzerland opened his eyes to the fact that he is a special link in the US intelligence services, bringing people more harm than good.
In 2009, the programmer left the CIA and began working for the NSA consulting companies Dell and Booz Allen Hamilton, performing the duties of an external contractor.
Snowden did not approve of the activities of the US National Security Agency, in the future ridding the American public of illusions about the lawful actions of the government in relation to the whole world. In this regard, in 2013, an NSA special agent decided to act at the behest of his heart and reveal to people secret information exposing American intelligence agencies in mass surveillance of people.
Snowden has repeatedly noted that he wanted to declassify the unlawful actions of the NSA and CIA back in 2008, but hoped that when he came to power the situation in the US secret services would change. It soon became obvious to the programmer that the new US President was continuing the policies of his predecessors and did not intend to interfere with the activities of the “spies.”
Revelations and criminal prosecutions
Snowden's work to declassify crimes of American intelligence agencies began in 2013. Then the former CIA and NSA agent contacted film producer Laura Poitras, American journalist Glenn Greenwald and publicist Barton Gellman, who told them that he was ready to provide classified information.
Snowden's communication took place through encrypted e-mail messages, through which the IT specialist leaked 200 thousand secret documents to journalists. Their secrecy status exceeded previously published materials on WikiLeaks regarding the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. After this, a scandal broke out, and the announced incriminating evidence received the effect of a thermonuclear bomb in the press. In the future, the founder of WikiLeaks will state that, thanks to an international non-profit organization, Snowden remains free.
Edward Snowden's revelations contained facts about surveillance by US intelligence agencies of the population in 60 countries and 35 government departments across Europe. The programmer declassified information about the PRISM program, with the help of which special agents conducted mass surveillance of negotiations between Americans and foreign citizens via the Internet and mobile communications.
According to Edward, the PRISM program allowed the NSA to listen to voice and video chats, view email and photos, track transferred files and have all the information of social network users. A large number of popular services participated in this program: Microsoft (Hotmail), Facebook, Google (Gmail), Skype, Yahoo!, AOL, YouTube, Apple and Paltalk.
Another sensational revelation by Snowden was the secret ruling of the FISC court, according to which the largest cellular operator Verizon is obliged to daily transfer to the NSA the metadata of all calls made within the United States. Against the backdrop of this ruling, journalists suggested that other American cellular operators could also be involved in such obligations.
In addition, thanks to Snowden, it became known about the existence of the Tempora tracking program, which intercepts Internet traffic and telephone conversations, and about integrated iPhone software that allows you to monitor user actions.
One of Snowden's most high-profile revelations was the disclosure of the fact that US intelligence officers intercepted telephone conversations of foreign politicians and officials participating in the G20 summit held in London in 2009. Victims of the US NSA's misconduct include many well-known politicians from around the world.
According to the Pentagon, Snowden is in possession of 1.7 million classified documents, most of which relate to vital information about the operations of the US Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. This information, according to journalists, will be gradually disclosed with the aim of harming the national interests of the United States and the NSA.
After deciding to reveal his identity, Edward Snowden, realizing that he would have to pay dearly for this act, went on the run.
At first, the programmer hid in Hong Kong, where he planned to obtain political asylum. After the announcement of official charges by the American authorities of theft and disclosure of secret state secrets, which happened on the day of Edward’s 30th birthday, the spy, for unknown reasons, appeared in Moscow at Sheremetyevo airport, but, not having a Russian visa, was forced to remain in the transit zone of the airport .
According to media reports, in Russia the programmer was met by a car with Venezuelan diplomatic license plates, which took Snowden away in an unknown direction. Presumably, Edward intended to go to South America through Moscow.
On June 30, 2013, he asked to be granted political asylum in Russia, and the very next day the President of the Russian Federation allowed the programmer to remain in the country on the condition that he stop the subversive work of the American intelligence services.
At the same time, Edward Snowden submitted a petition to the American authorities for a pardon, citing the fact that he did not observe anything bad or illegal in his actions. American authorities have a conflicting attitude towards Snowden's revelations, believing that the programmer is obliged to stand trial because he betrayed US state secrets. American intelligence officers consider the act of the former CIA and NSA employee to be harsh and illegal, causing irreparable damage to the US intelligence service.
In turn, the European Union is categorical about the issue of the prosecution of Snowden. The European Parliament has repeatedly called on the EU to refuse to impose a sentence on the American and to provide him with protection, which would make it impossible for him to be extradited to the United States or returned by a third party.
In July 2016, US CIA Director John Brennan said that Snowden should return to the US and face trial. Then the head of American foreign intelligence did not support the position of former US Attorney General Eric Holder, who called Snowden’s activities a “service to the public.” The head of the CIA does not believe that thanks to Edward, a discussion of socially significant issues has begun in the country.
In 2016, a former employee of the National Security Agency spoke in an interview with the Financial Times about his life in the Russian capital. Snowden admitted that his knowledge of the Russian language is only enough to place an order at a restaurant. Snowden added that he lives on Eastern Time and spends most of his time on the Internet, but "this has always been his life."
Snowden has repeatedly expressed his opinion regarding Russian anti-terrorism laws. A former American intelligence officer criticized in his microblog on the social network "Twitter" a package of laws (“package”) that introduce life imprisonment for international terrorism and oblige telecom operators, instant messengers and social networks to store information about the facts of conversations and correspondence of users and their content.
“Mass surveillance doesn’t work. This law takes away money and freedom from every Russian without improving security. You shouldn’t sign it,” Snowden notes.
In 2017, the authorities of many countries around the world continue to invite the former employee of the American intelligence services to speak out on a number of issues, as well as to give lectures.
Movies
“The most wanted man in the world,” Edward Snowden, after the publication and disclosure of classified information from American intelligence agencies, became one of the main characters for writers and filmmakers who thought of making him part of their creations. He was the main subject of the documentary "Citizenfour", directed by Laura Poitras based on interviews with a former CIA and NSA employee.
The film about Edward Snowden won the prestigious Oscar as the best documentary film with a bold plot, which from the first to the last seconds carries sensational and revealing information.
In 2016, the world saw a new project by the famous director called “Snowden”, dedicated to the story of a former IT specialist of the US intelligence services hiding from the evil American government. The main roles in the film were played by actors, and.
Personal life
The personal life of Edward Snowden, after his high-profile revelations, due to the precautions taken, became a secret to society. He once mentioned his family life in passing - in 2013 he announced that he had a wife and children. It is known that since 2009, his girlfriend was dancer Lindsay Mills, with whom he lived in a civil marriage on the Hawaiian island of Waipahu.
There were rumors that the couple broke up in 2013. But director Oliver Stone, the author of the film about Snowden, denied this information. The American spy still lives with his beloved in Russia. Evidence of this fact is provided by their joint photos that appear on Lindsay’s personal Instagram account.
In 2013, a former employee of the Russian intelligence services proposed that Edward Snowden marry her. She wrote about this on Twitter, but users called this step a PR move on her part.
According to journalists who interviewed Edward in Hong Kong, Snowden remains a good-natured and intelligent person, in whose character there are notes of romance and idealism. The programmer leads a quiet and healthy lifestyle, practices Buddhism, spends a lot of time at the computer and enjoys reading books on Russian history. At the same time, the NSA and CIA “whistleblower” adheres to a vegetarian diet, does not drink coffee or drink alcohol.
Edward Snowden now
The programmer has repeatedly stated that he is ready to move to the United States, subject to an open trial with a jury present at the trial. But no head of state has yet given Snowden such guarantees. In 2017, journalists suggested that Moscow would no longer hide Edward on Russian territory, but would hand him over to the new US President, but the programmer again managed to renew his residence permit.
In 2018, the American stopped communicating with the public for six months. In the fall, with his participation, a video conference took place with the University of Management of the Austrian city of Innsbruck. Edward said that he now manages the American Foundation for the Defense of Freedom of Journalists.
As part of his activities, Snowden is developing a program to protect information sources from external threats. According to the former CIA officer, he is primarily concerned with the problems of American society, which he continues to struggle with. At the same time, Edward does not stop criticizing the Russian government and reforms.
In November, Snowden gave a lecture to Mossad senior officials, presenting evidence of NSA infiltration into Israeli intelligence operations via videoconference. Snowden has not yet provided information about new performances in 2019, but it is assumed that the programmer will continue to expose American intelligence services.
Quotes
Snowden himself says this about his revelations:
“I have carefully reviewed each document to ensure that its release would serve the legitimate interests of the public. There are documents of all types that would have great consequences if released, but I do not release them because my goal is openness, not hurting people."
