NSA Spying Whistleblower Reaveals Himself in The Guardian … His Name is Edward Snowden

The whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance of American citizens telephone records reveals himself.

As reported at The Guardian, the individual behind the NSA spying leak is 29 year old Edward Snowden. The secrets he released can be prosecuted. Edward Snowden is a former technical assistant for the CIA who also worked at the NSA for the last four years as an employee of outside contractors including Booz Allen and Dell.  Obama has said no one is listening into the private phone calls of American citizens, its just data mining. Like that isn’t bad enough? Of course it was Obama who also said that the IRS was not targeting conservatives and the Tea Party for political purposes.  Barack Obama says that his administration has started criminal investigations into the NSA leaks. Snowden stated in his interview with the Guardian, “I can’t in good conscience allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, Internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they’re secretly building.”

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden: “I don’t want to live in a society that does these sort of things”

“I could be rendered … You can’t come forward against the world’s most intelligence agency and be completely free from risk because
there’s so much powerful adversaries that no one can easily oppose. If they want to get you, they’ll get you in time.”

click on pic for VIDEO of Edward Snowden discussing why he blew the whistle on the NSA

The individual responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history is Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. Snowden has been working at the National Security Agency for the last four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including Booz Allen and Dell.

The Guardian, after several days of interviews, is revealing his identity at his request. From the moment he decided to disclose numerous top-secret documents to the public, he was determined not to opt for the protection of anonymity. “I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong,” he said.

Snowden will go down in history as one of America’s most consequential whistleblowers, alongside Daniel Ellsberg and Bradley Manning. He is responsible for handing over material from one of the world’s most secretive organisations – the NSA.

In a note accompanying the first set of documents he provided, he wrote: “I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions,” but “I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon and irresistible executive powers that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant.”

Snowden has certainly put himself out there. Snowden had said that he had a comfortable life, and all that has changed. Will he be prosecuted? It would appear that the Obama administration is going to go after Snowden.

In the interview, Snowden described a comfortable lifestyle and a stellar career that included a $200,000 salary from consulting company and defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, of McLean, Va., and a home in Hawaii that he shared with a girlfriend. The paper said Snowden is now staying in a hotel in Hong Kong.

UPDATE I: NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden: ‘I do not expect to see home again’.

Q: But isn’t there a need for surveillance to try to reduce the chances of terrorist attacks such as Boston?

A: “We have to decide why terrorism is a new threat. There has always been terrorism. Boston was a criminal act. It was not about surveillance but good, old-fashioned police work. The police are very good at what they do.”

Q: When did you decide to leak the documents?

A: “You see things that may be disturbing. When you see everything you realize that some of these things are abusive. The awareness of wrong-doing builds up. There was not one morning when I woke up [and decided this is it]. It was a natural process.

“A lot of people in 2008 voted for Obama. I did not vote for him. I voted for a third party. But I believed in Obama’s promises. I was going to disclose it [but waited because of his election]. He continued with the policies of his predecessor.”

Q: Do you think what you have done is a crime?

A: “We have seen enough criminality on the part of government. It is hypocritical to make this allegation against me. They have narrowed the public sphere of influence.”

Q: What do you think is going to happen to you?

A: “Nothing good.”

UPDATE II: Booz Allen Statement on Reports of Leaked Information.

Booz Allen can confirm that Edward Snowden, 29, has been an employee of our firm for less than 3 months, assigned to a team in Hawaii. News reports that this individual has claimed to have leaked classified information are shocking, and if accurate, this action represents a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm. We will work closely with our clients and authorities in their investigation of this matter.