Edward Snowden

Born around 1983-06-21, Edward Snowden gained international prominence for his role in revealing details of classified U.S. government surveillance programs. As a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA), he disclosed a vast trove of classified material to the press in June 2013. These disclosures included information on top-secret NSA programs such as PRISM, which collected internet communications from various U.S. companies, and details regarding Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) orders related to NSA data capture efforts. Snowden stated his motivation was to expose what he perceived as excessive government surveillance of the American populace. Following his disclosures, U.S. federal prosecutors filed a sealed complaint on June 14, 2013, which was made public on June 21. The charges against Snowden included theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information, and willful communication of classified intelligence with an unauthorized person, with the latter two falling under the Espionage Act. After traveling from Hawaii to Hong Kong in May 2013, Snowden departed for Moscow on June 23, 2013, after Hong Kong authorities declined a U.S. request for his arrest.