This man made a lot of noise in the United States. What about in the States? They talk about him and know him all over the world.
One fine day, a young man handed over to journalists an “information bomb” - secret information about the total surveillance of American intelligence services. Soon this “bomb” exploded, making Edward Snowden enemy number one for some, and for others, on the contrary, a real hero and role model.
Photo images.wired.it
As you know, Snowden was not brought to Russia by love, desire to travel, or similar circumstances:
Many foreigners who have asked for and received political asylum in the Russian Federation often want to stay and live in Russia. But Snowden never intended to “linger”:
I won't go into Snowden's story. This is not about that at all, but about how he lives in Russia. It is remarkable how Snowden managed to adapt to his new country: here he does not experience problems with nutrition, does not go hungry due to the embargo on food imports from the United States, and lives like a normal person. “He will not go hungry, since he is already accustomed to Russian food,” said lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, who represents Snowden’s interests.
Photo hipsterconservative.com
Living in Russia, Snowden, like many foreigners, experienced “culture shock.” At the same time, he never ceases to consider himself a real American:
Edward told how ordinary people react to him Russian citizens. He is a popular, “media” personality, so the answer was quite natural:
It's not uncommon for a famous American whistleblower to be asked if he has ties to the Russian government and secret services in our country, as often happens in spy films. Edward has one answer to this:
And in general, the American programmer sees himself here as a “house cat”:
Photo tvgoodness.com
But Snowden is no stranger to domestic tourism in Russia:
The famous American director Oliver Stone, who made a film about the fate of Edward, also showed interest in Snowden’s life. The first trailer for the film was released recently:
IN leading role Joseph Gordon-Levitt played Snowden. The premiere is scheduled for September 16.
Name: Edward Snowden
Age: 35 years
Activity: technical specialist, former CIA and US National Security Agency employee
Family status: not married
Edward Snowden: biography
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 studied training courses for entering 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
Climbing career ladder Edward Snowden's was confident and impetuous. 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 new president The United States continues the policies of its predecessors and does not intend to interfere with the activities of “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 to journalists secret documents. 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 the international non-profit organization Snowden remains at large.
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 sent files and own 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 mobile operators.
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 the integrated iPhone software that allows you to monitor user activity.
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 included many famous politicians from all over 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 National Security Agency employee told the publication 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, authorities in many countries around the world continue to invite former US intelligence officer to speak out on a number of issues and also 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 new project 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 in mind measures taken precautions became a secret to society. ABOUT family life he mentioned once in passing - in 2013, he said that he had a wife and children. It is known that since 2009 his girlfriend was dancer Lindsay Mills, with whom he lived in 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 good-natured and smart person, in whose character there are notes of romance and idealism. The programmer is quiet and healthy image life, practices Buddhism, spends a lot of time at the computer and enjoys reading books on the history of Russia. 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 judicial trial with the presence of a jury 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 Russian government and reforms.
In November, Snowden gave a lecture to senior Mossad 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."
In 2013, a real spy drama unfolded in the world. Only the lazy did not follow the movements of the fugitive CIA agent Edward Snowden.
So who is this animated adventure novel character and why was he hunted by the world's most famous intelligence agencies?
Where did Snowden live and work?
– programmer, worked for the US National Security Agency and the CIA. Then he collaborated with companies close to the intelligence services. Had access to classified American intelligence documents. Was getting high salary about 200 thousand dollars a year. Recently I lived in Hawaii.What did Edward Snowden say?
The former agent provided the world with evidence that American intelligence uses illegal methods in its work. He published several hundred secret documents, including orders from American President Barack Obama on the preparation of cyber attacks around the world and on wiretapping. Thanks to Edward Snowden, it became known about global surveillance of citizens of the United States and other countries using social networks, telephone operators, computer programs(“Skype” and others). Microsoft and Apple corporations were associated with the intelligence services. The fugitive agent also spoke about wiretapping telephone conversations of the leaders of the G20 countries.Why did Snowden declassify the information?
Edward Snowden became disillusioned with the methods used by American intelligence agencies to recruit people and obtain information. The former agent believed that the situation would change when Barack Obama came to power. However, changes in better side Did not happen. Because of this, Snowden decided to publish secret materials. He began anonymously collaborating with journalists from The Guardian and The Washington Post. 
Why did Snowden betray the US?
Snowden attached to the disclosed documents explanatory note. In it, he wrote that he was ready to fight the impunity of the authorities and secret laws, even at the cost of his own life. The agent also referred to the conclusion Nuremberg trials that every citizen has the right to break the laws of his country in order to prevent crimes against humanity. Snowden emphasized that he is not doing this for the money. 
Why did Snowden flee the US?
As an experienced agent, Snowden understood that he would be declassified very quickly. He even asked journalists not to publish his verbatim quotes so that intelligence agencies could not conduct semantic analysis. After some time, it became dangerous to be in the United States. Snowden took sick leave and went into hiding. A couple of days later it became known that the special services had conducted a search in his house. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange helped Edward Snowden escape from the United States. 
How did Snowden leave the USA and end up in Moscow?
Edward Snowden's path to Moscow was long. The former agent sought asylum from 21 countries, but was refused by 9 states. Snowden was in Hong Kong for some time. It was there that the whistleblower revealed his identity. Then he flew to Moscow and lived in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo airport for more than a month. Snowden then received permission to stay in Russia.Where does Snowden work and live now?
On the very first day, he received a job offer from the VKontakte company. However, there is no confirmation that Snowden is working for social network. The details of his life in Russia are not disclosed. As the official representative of the former agent, Anatoly Kucherena, emphasizes, Edward does not live in Moscow, he is learning Russian.Subscribe to our channel in Yandex.Zen
In a Moscow hotel, Edward Snowden and Alan Rusbridger ordered room service and talked about “total surveillance” - and whether it was true that the theft of NSA files involved a Rubik’s cube.
Edward Snowden has sharply criticized the country that gave him refuge, condemning the Kremlin for human rights abuses and alleging Russian involvement in two recent major hacking attacks on US government networks.
In a Lunch with the FT interview with The Financial Times below, he lamented that Moscow had “gone very far in doing things that are totally unnecessary, costly and have a detrimental effect on individual and collective rights.” " And he added that he remains most loyal to the United States of America.
He said the leak of classified information about NSA "cyber weapons" that may have been orchestrated by Russia last month is a "hidden threat" to US authorities. The intention of a group of hackers called The Shadow Brokers auction off NSA computer code used to infiltrate networks foreign countries“This is an attempt to show Washington how vulnerable it is,” he added.
Snowden claims that all cases of interaction with Russian officials are handled by his lawyer. “I don’t have any special ties to Russia, and that’s by design because—as crazy as it sounds—I’m still planning on leaving.”
* * *
Agreeing on a joint lunch with Edward Snowden turned out to be not so easy. The former National Security Agency employee is not in the mood for conversations in a Moscow restaurant, so we arrange (through an intermediary) to meet at my hotel and venture to order dinner to the room. He promises to appear at the appointed time. That's all I need to know.
He finally shows up, 20 minutes late, wearing black jeans, a black button-up jersey shirt with a long neckline, and ordinary sunglasses. He studies the small, dimly lit room 203 of the Golden Apple boutique hotel, a leisurely 30-minute walk from the Kremlin, with the air of someone who has spent a lot of time in such places.
So how does it compare to room 1014 at the Mira Hotel in Hong Kong, where in June 2013 (after handing over many of the NSA's most closely guarded secrets to a few hand-picked journalists) Snowden spent a week as the world's most wanted man?
“A little smaller, but similar,” he says. — Only in a room in Hong Kong was there glass wall bathroom,” he adds, pointing to an ordinary wall with a painting hanging on it, painted in watercolor (a mandatory attribute of all hotels).
The Mira Hotel room interior is about to become much more famous with the release next week of Oliver Stone's Snowden biopic, which stars the whistleblower as famous actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Much of the most intense and most claustrophobic scenes were filmed on a soundstage, the interior of which was copied from room 1014, in a hangar-like Munich studio.
Context
Snowden keeps a low profile
National Public Radio 07/01/2016Snowden against the Yarovaya Package
The Washington Times 06/27/2016Snowden spoke with Finland via video link
Helsingin Sanomat 04/28/2016Self-defense of Edward Snowden
The Wall Street Journal 03/15/2016Throughout that week three years ago, Snowden and two Guardian journalists worked on the first of two articles that outlined all the tools intelligence agencies could now use against the public. When he openly declared himself as a source of information, some began to call him a hero, and some suggested that he should be imprisoned electric chair. I had never met him before and relied entirely on the opinion of our veteran reporter Ewen MacAskill, who called and said (using a conventional and somewhat Hollywood “password”) that “Guinness is good for you” (phrase from a beer advertisement - approx. translation.).
I first saw his face about an hour before the rest of the world saw it - when MacAskill sent his video interview to New York. Like everyone else, I was then struck by his bristly, disheveled appearance and youth, and was impressed by how thoughtfully and clearly he spoke. Now that he is already 33 years old, his stubble is shorter and his hair is longer. He moves freely around Moscow, he says, and people rarely recognize him—which is surprising, since he has changed little since his first photo was imprinted in our consciousness.
Looking at the menu, printed on a laminated card with English translations of the names, he finds the spicy chicken curry with rice and chili sauce tempting. I choose risotto with porcini mushrooms and vinaigrette with herring. Snowden, skinny as a matchstick, decides he can't resist crab cakes, too. We call and order food and mineral water.
Ever since he had to leave Hong Kong in 2013 (and was wanted everywhere), he was reluctantly given the opportunity to stay in Moscow. How are things going with your Russian learning? He says that they are coming, and he can order food at the restaurant himself, but he doesn’t want to go into details. “I do all my work on English language. I speak English to everyone I interact with,” he says. — I sleep in Russia, but live in different parts Sveta. I don’t have any special ties to Russia, and that’s by design because—as crazy as it sounds—I’m still planning on leaving.”
“The only difference is that I am still abroad and I am working for the US, but they don’t understand that.” As anyone who actively reads his Twitter posts (he himself only follows one account, the NSA) knows, he knows how to hide his sarcasm.
He saw a working version of Oliver Stone's film during one of the director's visits to Moscow. At the time, Snowden says, he talked to Stone's co-writer Kieran Fitzgerald about "trying to bring the film a little closer to reality."
"But I know it's not documentary, he says, shrugging. “This is a feature film.”
How would he rate the film on a scale of 10? He avoids judgment. “On issues of politics, which, in my opinion, are the most important for public understanding, the film is as close to reality as possible.”
He met Gordon-Levitt in Moscow and considers him “a great guy... with whom we had lunch together, talked for several hours about everything in the world, about our personal lives - what we think about, what worries us. At the time, I thought it was just a friendly visit, but then he told me that he was actually looking at me, trying to study my characteristics."
Having interviewed Gordon-Levitt's "Snowden" for his cameo in the film, I can vouch for his excellent portrayal of his real-life hero. Snowden was also amazed: “The way he portrays me, the way he speaks in such a low, husky voice, I feel awkward - but that’s because we never hear our own voices the way other people hear them, right?”
Did the film move him, causing him to remember the parts of his life that led to what he calls his “gutted” decision to leak the largest secret document leak in history? “An emotional reaction always occurs when you see what you did in other people’s interpretation. Then you see evidence of how important the decisions you made are to them. Three years later, when I see that those events that we thought would be forgotten in a week are still of interest to people, [I begin to understand] that it was not madness on my part.”
* * *
There is a knock on the door - which then, in 2013 at the Mira Hotel, would have caused an attack of paranoid fear. Now it's just food delivery to your room. The room is so small that the waiter balances the tray on the bed, forcing Snowden to perch his chicken curry on his knee. They didn't bring water. Turns out my vinaigrette is diced beets. I decide to abstain from herring.
Once he nods to the iPhone on which I am recording our conversation, and explains that this is “in case someone is listening in on us.” When I met him for the first time in the spring of 2014 (to see how he was doing in his new environment), a huge red thermometer flashed on the screen of my iPhone, which meant dangerous overheating. As Snowden soberly noted at the time, this is because so many people are trying to eavesdrop on us.
He recalls all the time that has passed since he made his revelations, and concludes that all three branches of government in the United States - Congress, the courts, the President - have changed their position regarding total surveillance. “We can actually now control the actions of secret agents more tightly, rather than giving them free reign and allowing them to do whatever they want just because we are afraid, which is understandable but clearly not ethical.”
What about what followed revelations of surveillance in the UK, where authorities responded by proposing laws that would not only (retrospectively) sanction the intelligence activities that were revealed to be carrying out, but also expand their scope? He replies that it was not his intention to dictate to the world how to build its legal systems - he wanted people to have the right to influence the process of making laws. “In some countries the laws have gotten worse. France has gone very far in this regard, and, of course, countries such as Russia and China. There is a tendency in the UK to take an authoritarian approach to these issues.”
“We do not allow the police to enter any house and conduct searches there. We don't usually change the way a free society works for the convenience of the police, because that's the nature of a police state,” he says, eating some leftover rice. “But still some agents and officials are trying to convince us that this is necessary. Now, I would argue that in a police state the police will certainly be more effective than the police in a free and liberal society where there are severe restrictions on what the police can do. And yet, in which state would you prefer to live?
He finished his curry and says it “was very tasty.” Having barely tasted the crab cake, he sets the plate aside. “Not bad, but not as tasty,” he says. We order ice cream - vanilla, strawberry and chocolate for him and sorbet for me. The voice on the phone launches into complex explanations of why we can get a discount for just five balls.
And he never has insomnia because ISIS terrorists (an organization banned in the Russian Federation, ed.) could derive some benefit from the information he disclosed?
Well, for one thing, he says, in all the recent European terrorist attacks, the suspects were known to the authorities, who therefore had the opportunity to go after them without having to collect anyone else's data to do so. Secondly, he notes, Osama bin Laden stopped using mobile phone in 1998 - not because of leaks to the press, but because “a certain form of Darwinism operates in terrorist circles - the principle of an aggressive struggle for existence.” Long before we, members of the public, knew about these surveillance and wiretapping, they had known about it for many years - because if they had not known, they would no longer be alive.
“But,” he continues, “let’s say that the newspapers decided that this should not become public knowledge. Let's say the intelligence services could continue to use these programs secretly. Would this have stopped the terrorist attacks that have occurred over the past three years? There is no publicly available evidence that yes, it would stop. The fact is that there is no secret evidence of this either - otherwise we would have learned about it from the newspapers.”
We move on to talk about reports alleging that the Russians allegedly infiltrated the NSA's own computer networks and hacked into the servers of the Democratic National Committee. In the first case we're talking about about a group calling itself The Shadow Brokers, which threatened to auction off highly sophisticated tools that the NSA allegedly uses for surveillance. The second case involves numerous Democratic emails that WikiLeaks, to everyone's shame, released in July.
The leak, organized by hackers from The Shadow Broker, says Snowden, “as a whistleblower, did not make an impression on me - it strikes me as a warning. This is a political message conveyed through disclosure.” What about the hacking of the Democrats' servers, which, he notes, common sense dictates that it was the work of the Russians? “That's part of the problem with this total surveillance that we're allowing to happen by refusing to be more discreet. We have created a kind of global precedent according to which everything is allowed and nothing is prohibited."
“And now the fact that the servers of the Democratic Party were hacked does not surprise anyone and is of no interest to anyone. We hack networks political parties all over the world, and all countries do the same. It is interesting that some information stolen from this server was later published. In my opinion, this is something new.”
And what does this suggest to him? “That it is designed to achieve political goals.”
He says (as someone who has tried and done similar things to the Chinese before) that it would be easy to attribute this hack to whoever did it. “But this creates a problem - let's say the NSA has irrefutable evidence indicating that the Democratic servers were hacked by the Russians, and the NSA tells us that the Democratic servers were hacked by the Russians, how can we trust it? After all, this requires a certain trust - which no longer exists.”
Ice cream and espresso arrive, and now they take up space on the bed instead of the previous dishes. Snowden spills some curry sauce on the bedspread and pats it guiltily with a towel.
Does this mean that we are beginning to understand that no digital base is secure? “We are experiencing a computer security crisis unlike any other before,” he says. “But until we solve the main problem, which is that our policies encourage more people to commit crimes.” high level", than the level of protection, hacks will continue to occur, it will be impossible to predict them, and they will have an increasingly greater impact and will be fraught with more serious consequences."
He believes that to solve the problem, some kind of liability should be introduced for negligence in the design of the architecture software- similar to the responsibility provided for in Food Industry. And he adds dryly: “People in my profession would be terribly angry with me for proposing rules to combat sloppiness in software reliability issues.”
* * *
He finished his ice cream, but refuses coffee. His life in Moscow is getting better, he says: “I am more open now than after the events of 2013.” He interacts with few people—meetings like this are rare—and devotes his time public speaking(what he does for a living) and developing tools to ensure the safety of journalists online. He prefers not to discuss "family matters" or how often he sees his girlfriend Lindsay Mills, who remained in Hawaii when he quit his NSA job there and fled to Hong Kong.
His American lawyer is Ben Wizner of the American Defense Union. civil liberties, is reportedly planning to submit a petition to US President Barack Obama asking him to pardon his ward before leaving the White House. Snowden said only one thing: “Of course, I hope that they succeed, but with me, in fact, this usually never happens. No matter what the result is, I can take it for granted.”
Under President Donald Trump, Snowden has no chance of a successful outcome, I note. What will happen if Hillary Clinton becomes president? “You are trying to drag me into a political quagmire,” he says displeased. He tries to calm down, looking intently at the floor, and then avoids answering: “I believe that we should have more wide choose. We are a country of 330 million people, and we seem to be asked to choose between people whose lives are defined by scandals. I just think we should be capable of more."
And if he stubbornly refuses to talk about his preferences in American politics, his 2.3 million Twitter followers noted his willingness to express critical remarks regarding Russian politics. “Many people who are worried about me tell me to keep quiet, but if I only cared about my own interests, I would never leave Hawaii.”
“I cannot fix the human rights situation in Russia, and really my main task is to first fix the situation in my country, because this is the only country to which I owe the most loyalty. But since there are chances, what difference does it make - maybe I can do it.”
He takes his sunglasses- It’s time for him to disappear into the Moscow crowd. One last question: Stone's film shows him recording valuable secret information stolen from the NSA onto a microSD memory card hidden in a Rubik's cube. Was it for real or not?
“Oliver recently said in an interview that this was such a small directorial license - but he did this only because I did not want to either confirm or deny how everything really happened. I will say this - I gave out Rubik's cubes to everyone in my office, it's true. I really did it." With these words he left.
