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Whistleblower speaks

June 11, 2013

Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has gone on the record, defending his decision to leak the existence of the top secret PRISM surveillance program.

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###ACHTUNG!!! AUSSCHLIESSLICH UND EINMALIG ZUR AKTUELLEN BERICHTERSTATTUNG VERWENDEN!!! #### U.S. National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, an analyst with a U.S. defence contractor, is seen in this still image taken from a video during an interview with the Guardian in his hotel room in Hong Kong June 6, 2013. The 29-year-old contractor at the NSA revealed top secret U.S. surveillance programmes to alert the public of what is being done in their name, the Guardian newspaper reported on Sunday. Snowden, a former CIA technical assistant who was working at the super-secret NSA as an employee of defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, is ensconced in a hotel in Hong Kong after leaving the United States with secret documents. Footage taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Ewen MacAskill/The Guardian/Handout (CHINA - Tags: POLITICS MEDIA) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. MANDATORY CREDIT
Image: Reuters/Ewen MacAskill/The Guardian/Handout

Snowden, a former NSA computer technician, has said that he may seek asylum in Iceland due to its strong free speech protections. He is currently residing in Hong Kong, which has an extradition agreement with the United States.

US Senator Dianne Feinstein said that Snowden had committed an act of treason. It's still unclear what legal action the Obama administration will take. A petition addressed to the White House calling for Snowden to be pardoned has received 30,000 signatures. If the petition gains 100,000 signatures by July 9, the White House will forward it to policy experts and issue an official response.

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US whistleblower goes public over surveillance

US whistleblower goes public over surveillance

June 10, 201301:09 min