International pariah. Hero. Traitor. True patriot. Fugitive from justice. When it comes to Edward Snowden, there is no popular consensus. The 31-year-old is a vastly polarizing figure, and the critics and advocates he’s spawned couldn’t be more at odds. In June 2013, Snowden – who’d worked as a government contractor – began leaking highly privileged U.S. intelligence secrets to the general public. His motivation was simple – exposition of truth – but the implications of his actions were decidedly less so. As he sought refuge in Russia, U.S. spies began talking about how much they’d enjoy killing him while huge sectors of the population applauded what they saw as Snowden’s heroics for exposing secrets at great personal risk.
If a person’s Wikipedia page is the ultimate indication of his or her cultural import – and in our age, it may just as well be – then Snowden is one of recent history’s most important figures. His actions led to extraordinary upheaval within government security channels, not to mention a widespread consciousness of the insidious nature of government surveillance. It’s no exaggeration to say that Snowden decisively shaped the course of our country’s history, and his actions will have reverberations for a long time to come. But behind the symbolic Snowden – that of a force fighting for government transparency at all costs, and harnessing technology to do so – is the man himself. A new cover story in Wired sheds light on the private life of this very public figure. Here’s some of the more interesting points from the piece:
- He is living a life shrouded in secrecy. This is perhaps the least surprising thing discussed in the article, but it’s notable nevertheless to illustrate what a carefully concealed life Snowden leads. The article’s reporter, James Bamford, had to wait around in a Moscow hotel for a while before Snowden found him. Other reporters have described a similar ritual: arriving at a predetermined location and waiting and waiting – perhaps somewhat unsure of if he’ll even show up. Snowden lives in uncertainty of his status in Russia, since he only resides there under temporary asylum. He was recently granted a three-year extension on that asylum, but after that – who knows?
- He’s not afraid of prison. Many people branded Snowden a coward after he went to Russia following his leak. But Snowden told Bamford that it’s not prison he’s afraid of – it’s the prospect that his prison sentence wouldn’t be for a reason he considers just. “I told the government I’d volunteer for prison, as long as it served the right purpose,” he told the reporter. “I care more about the country than what happens to me.”
- He keeps abreast of the news. Just because Snowden’s on the other side of the world and always looking over his shoulder doesn’t mean he’s out of the loop. Sure, he may have taken the battery out of his cellphone before talking to Bamford, but he’s also still tapped into current affairs, including and especially the NSA. “The question for us is not what new story will come out next,” Snowden told Bamford about the innumerable NSA documents still out there. “The question is, what are we going to do about it?”
- What he did was not an impulsive thing. While many in the government were quick to represent Snowden as a dramatically unhinged type, he told Bamford that isn’t the case at all. His decision to blow the whistle was years in the making, and was the product of much deliberation. He knows the weight of his actions, and accepts whatever may come of them.
