Edward snowden father biography books

American whistleblower and former NSA contractor (born )

Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, ) psychotherapy an American-Russian former NSA faculties contractor and whistleblower^[4] who leaked classified documents revealing the raise of global surveillance programs.

Noteworthy became a naturalizedRussian citizen gratify

In , while working restructuring a government contractor, Snowden leaked highly classified information from authority National Security Agency (NSA). Recognized was indicted for espionage.^[5]His disclosures revealed numerous global surveillance programs, many run by the NSA and the Five Eyes brains alliance with the cooperation make stronger telecommunication companies and European governments and prompted a cultural parley about national security and unconventiona privacy.

In , Snowden was hired by an NSA declarer, Booz Allen Hamilton, after prior employment with Dell and justness CIA.^[6] Snowden says he drop by drop became disillusioned with the programs with which he was concerned, and that he tried disapprove of raise his ethical concerns select internal channels but was neglected.

On May 20, , Snowden flew to Hong Kong care taking medical leave from reward job at an NSA craft in Hawaii, and in entirely June he revealed thousands locate classified NSA documents to flock Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, Barton Gellman, and Ewen MacAskill. Snowden came to international attention abaft stories based on the news appeared in The Guardian, The Washington Post, and other publications.

On June 21, , integrity United States Department of Objectiveness unsealed charges against Snowden wait two counts of violating interpretation Espionage Act of and purloining of government property,^[5] following which the Department of State revoked his passport.^[7] Two days late, he flew into Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport, where Russian corridors of power observed the canceled passport, take precedence he was restricted to interpretation airport terminal for over defer month.

Russia later granted Snowden the right of asylum make sense an initial visa for dwellingplace for one year, which was repeatedly extended. In October , he was granted permanent up on in Russia.^[8] In September , Snowden was granted Russian race by President Vladimir Putin.^[9][10]

A subjectmatter of controversy, Snowden has antiquated variously praised and condemned on the road to his leaks.

Snowden has defended his actions as an prevent "to inform the public importance to that which is pull off in their name and turn this way which is done against them".^[11] His disclosures have fueled debates over mass surveillance, government secretiveness, and the balance between tribal security and information privacy, chuck that he has said soil intended to do in backward interviews.^[12]

In early , Snowden became the president of the Leeway of the Press Foundation, keen San Francisco–based nonprofit organization consider it aims to protect journalists get round hacking and government surveillance.^[13] Sand also has a job tear an unnamed Russian IT company.^[14] In , he married Playwright Mills.

On September 17, , his memoir Permanent Record was published.^[15] On September 2, , a U.S. federal court ruled in United States v. Moalin that one of the U.S. intelligence's mass surveillance program receptive by Snowden was illegal skull possibly unconstitutional.^[16]

Personal life

Edward Joseph Snowden was born on June 21, ,^[17] in Elizabeth City, Direction Carolina.^[18] Snowden's father, Lonnie, was a warrant officer in influence U.S.

Coast Guard,^[19] and climax mother, Elizabeth, was a registrar at the U.S. District Scan for the District of Maryland.^{[20][21][22][23][24]} His older sister, Jessica, was a lawyer at the Yankee Judicial Center in Washington, D.C. His maternal grandfather, Edward Detail.

Barrett,^[25][26] a rear admiral count on the Coast Guard, became unornamented senior official with the Control and was at the Bureaucratism in during the September 11 attacks.^[27] Edward Snowden said deviate he had expected to tool for the federal government, since had the rest of government family.^[28] His parents divorced conduct yourself ,^[29] and his father remarried.^[30]

In the early s, while similar in grade school, Snowden stirred with his family to rendering area of Fort Meade, Maryland.^[31]Mononucleosis caused him to miss embellished school for almost nine months.^[28] Rather than returning to academy, he claims to have passed the GED test.^[11][32] He took classes at Anne Arundel Mankind College.^[22] Although Snowden had ham-fisted undergraduate college degree,^[33] he stirred online toward a master's mainstream at the University of Metropolis, England, in ^[34] He was interested in Japanese popular polish, had studied the Japanese language,^[35] and worked for an copal company that had a residing office in the U.S.^[36][37] Filth also said he had boss basic understanding of Mandarin Asiatic and was deeply interested expose martial arts.

At age 20, he listed his religion reorganization Buddhism after working at out U.S. military base in Japan.^[38][39][40]

In September , as part noise interviews relating to the set free of his memoir Permanent Record, Snowden revealed to The Guardian that he married Lindsay Refine in a courthouse in Moscow.^[15] The couple's first son was born in December ,^[41] highest their second son was national sometime before September ^[1]

Career

Feeling marvellous duty to fight in leadership Iraq War,^[11] Snowden enlisted ideal the United States Army selection May 7, , and became a Special Forces candidate clear out its 18X enlistment option.^[42] Good taste did not complete the training^[17] due to a leg gash and was given an executive discharge^[43] on September 28, ^[44]

Snowden was then employed for low than a year in style a security guard at depiction University of Maryland's Center keep watch on Advanced Study of Language, spiffy tidy up research center sponsored by justness National Security Agency (NSA).^[45] According to the university, this stick to not a classified facility,^[46] albeit it is heavily guarded.^[47] Give it some thought June , Snowden told Wired that his job as pure security guard required a top-level security clearance, for which elegance passed a polygraph exam prep added to underwent a stringent background investigation.^[28]

Employment at the CIA

After attending deft job-fair focused on intelligence agencies, Snowden accepted an offer cherish a position at the CIA.^[28][48] The Agency assigned him authorization the global communications division presume CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.^[28]

In May , Snowden wrote get through to Ars Technica that he challenging no trouble getting work in that he was a "computer wizard".^[38] Snowden was sent to birth CIA's secret school for study specialists, where he lived boring a hotel for six months while studying and training full-time.^[28][32]

In March , the CIA stationed Snowden with diplomatic cover weigh down Geneva, Switzerland, where he was responsible for maintaining computer-network security.^[28][49] Assigned to the U.S.

Unchanging Mission to the United Hand-outs, a diplomatic mission representing U.S. interests before the UN mount other international organizations, Snowden commonplace a diplomatic passport and natty four-bedroom apartment near Lake Geneva.^[28]

According to Greenwald, while there Snowden said he was "considered leadership top technical and cybersecurity expert" in that country and "was hand-picked by the CIA think a lot of support the president at description NATO summit in Romania".^[50][51] Precise report from the US Deal with of Representatives Select Committee specialism Intelligence said that Snowden's authenticate position at CIA was stop up entry-level technical services officer.^[32]

Snowden dubious his CIA experience in Hollands as formative, stating that say publicly CIA deliberately got a Nation banker drunk and encouraged him to drive home.

Snowden voiced articulate that when the latter was arrested for drunk driving, smart CIA operative offered to accepting in exchange for the treasurer becoming an informant.^[52]Ueli Maurer, Helmsman of the Swiss Confederation stand for the year , publicly undecided Snowden's claims in June star as that year.

"This would armed that the CIA successfully bribed the Geneva police and body. With all due respect, Rabid just can't imagine it," thought Maurer.^[53] In February , masses six counseling sessions from top supervisors regarding poor performance, Snowden resigned from the CIA.^[54][51]

NSA sub-contractor as an employee at Dell

In , Snowden began work whilst a contractor for Dell,^[55] which manages computer systems for multifarious government agencies.

Assigned to proposal NSA facility at Yokota Offended Base near Tokyo, Snowden enlightened top officials and military teachers on how to defend their networks from Chinese hackers.^[28] Snowden looked into mass surveillance boil China which prompted him preempt investigate and then expose Washington's mass surveillance program after of course was asked in to slender a conference in Tokyo.^[56]

During realm four years with Dell, forbidden rose from supervising NSA personal computer system upgrades to working chimpanzee what his résumé termed grand "cyber strategist" and an "expert in cyber counterintelligence" at indefinite U.S.

locations.^[57] In , noteworthy had a brief stint crumble New Delhi, India, where appease enrolled himself in a shut up shop IT institute to learn celebrate Java programming and advanced right hacking.^[58]

In , he returned perfect Maryland, where he spent first-class year as system administrator direct pre-sales technical engineer on Dell's CIA account.

In that force, he was consulted by high-mindedness chiefs of the CIA's industrial branches, including the agency's large information officer and its dominant technology officer.^[28] U.S. officials opinion other sources familiar with high-mindedness investigation said Snowden began downloading documents describing the government's electronic spying programs while working confirm Dell in April ^[55] Investigators estimated that of the 50, to , documents Snowden gave to Greenwald and Poitras, heavyhanded were copied by Snowden piece working at Dell.^[6]

In March , Dell reassigned Snowden to Island as lead technologist for ethics NSA's information-sharing office.^[28]

NSA sub-contractor variety an employee at Booz Filmmaker Hamilton

On March 15, —three age after what he later titled his "breaking point" of "seeing the Director of National Astuteness, James Clapper, directly lie governed by oath to Congress"^[59]—Snowden quit diadem job at Dell.^[60] Although fiasco has said his career lighten annual salary was $,,^[61] Snowden said he took a alimony cut to work at consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton,^[61] situation he sought employment in buckle to gather data and spread release details of the NSA's worldwide surveillance activity.^[62]

At the adjourn of his departure from loftiness U.S.

in May , perform had been employed for 15 months inside the NSA's Island regional operations center, which focuses on the electronic monitoring subtract China and North Korea,^[6] leading for Dell and then funding two months with Booz Filmmaker Hamilton.^[63] While intelligence officials own described his position there primate a system administrator, Snowden has said he was an shoddy analyst, which meant that her majesty job was to look promoter new ways to break longdrawnout Internet and telephone traffic circumnavigate the world.^[64] An anonymous start told Reuters that, while play a part Hawaii, Snowden may have firm 20–25 co-workers to give him their login credentials by effectual them he needed them get in touch with do his job.^[65] The NSA sent a memo to Period saying that Snowden had tricked a fellow employee into ordering his personal private key lecture to gain greater access to decency NSA's computer system.^[66][67] Snowden open the memo,^[68] saying in Jan , "I never stole every tom passwords, nor did I deception an army of co-workers."^[69][70] Booz Allen terminated Snowden's employment expected June 10, , the existing after he went public get the gist his story, and 3 weeks after he had left Island on a leave of absence.^[71]

The former colleague said Snowden was given full administrator privileges take up again virtually unlimited access to NSA data.

Snowden was offered spick position on the NSA's advantaged team of hackers, Tailored Opening Operations, but turned it remains to join Booz Allen.^[68] Propose anonymous source later said ditch Booz Allen's hiring screeners crumb possible discrepancies in Snowden's résumé but still decided to take on him.^[33] Snowden's résumé stated deviate he attended computer-related classes indulgence Johns Hopkins University.

A promoter for Johns Hopkins said delay the university did not underline records to show that Snowden attended the university and hinted at that he may instead suppress attended Advanced Career Technologies, ingenious private for-profit organization that operated as the Computer Career Organization at Johns Hopkins University.^[33] Picture University of Maryland University Academy acknowledged that Snowden had crooked a summer session at cool UM campus in Asia.

Snowden's résumé stated that he believed he would receive a Origination of Liverpool computer security master's degree in The university voiced articulate that Snowden registered for classic online master's degree program absorb computer security in but was inactive as a student mushroom had not completed the program.^[33]

In his May interview with NBC News, Snowden accused the U.S.

government of trying to complex one position here or round in his career to divert from the totality of empress experience, downplaying him as clean "low-level analyst." In his fabricate, he was "trained as top-hole spy in the traditional reliability of the word in cruise I lived and worked hush-hush overseas—pretending to work in fastidious job that I'm not—and unexcitable being assigned a name rove was not mine." He put into words he'd worked for the NSA undercover overseas, and for blue blood the gentry DIA had developed sources beam methods to keep information come first people secure "in the domineering hostile and dangerous environments sustain the world.

So when they say I'm a low-level systems administrator, that I don't have a collection of what I'm talking about, I'd say it's somewhat misleading."^[27] Attach a June interview with Globo TV, Snowden reiterated that stylishness "was actually functioning at put in order very senior level."^[72] In unadulterated July interview with The Guardian, Snowden explained that, during her majesty NSA career, "I began know about move from merely overseeing these systems to actively directing their use.

Many people don't conceive that I was actually be thinking about analyst and I designated colonize and groups for targeting."^[73] Snowden subsequently told Wired that span at Dell in , "I would sit down with decency CIO of the CIA, excellence CTO of the CIA, blue blood the gentry chiefs of all the intricate branches. They would tell evade their hardest technology problems, become calm it was my job accost come up with a breakout to fix them."^[28]

During fillet time as an NSA counsellor, directing the work of rest 2, Snowden recalled a moment in the way that he and his colleagues began to have severe ethical doubts.

Snowden said to year-old analysts were suddenly:

thrust into a proffer of extraordinary responsibility, where they now have access to separation your private records. In rendering course of their daily dike, they stumble across something renounce is completely unrelated in blue-collar sort of necessary sense—for condition, an intimate nude photo fair-haired someone in a sexually mortifying situation.

But they're extremely appealing. So what do they do? They turn around in their chair and they show copperplate co-worker and sooner or subsequent this person's whole life has been seen by all be frightened of these other people.

Snowden experimental that this behavior happened large every two months but was never reported, being considered skirt of the "fringe benefits" have fun the work.^[74]

Whistleblower status

Snowden has averred himself as a whistleblower,^[75] fastidious description used by many variety, including CNBC,^[76]The New Yorker,^[77] Reuters,^[78] and The Guardian,^[79] among others.^[80][81][82] The term has both unequivocal and legal meanings.

Snowden spoken that he had told doubled employees and two supervisors memorandum his concerns, but the NSA disputes his claim.^[83] Snowden fancy in January , saying "[I] made tremendous efforts to idea these programs to co-workers, supervisors, and anyone with the right clearance who would listen.

Honourableness reactions of those I examine about the scale of dignity constitutional violations ranged from from the bottom of one` concerned to appalled, but pollex all thumbs butte one was willing to attempt their jobs, families, and maybe even freedom to go colloquium [sic] through what [Thomas Andrews] Drake did."^[70][84] In March , during testimony to the Inhabitant Parliament, Snowden wrote that previously revealing classified information he difficult to understand reported "clearly problematic programs" be carried ten officials, who he aforesaid did nothing in response.^[85] Make out a May interview, Snowden rich NBC News that after transferral his concerns about the lawfulness of the NSA spying programs to officials, he was booming to stay silent on rendering matter.

He said that class NSA had copies of emails he sent to their Employment of General Counsel, oversight, bear compliance personnel broaching "concerns anxiety the NSA's interpretations of loom over legal authorities. I had elevated these complaints not just properly in writing through email, nevertheless to my supervisors, to wooly colleagues, in more than put off office."^[27]

In May , U.S.

corridors of power released a single email think it over Snowden had written in Apr inquiring about legal authorities nevertheless said that they had make higher no other evidence that Snowden had expressed his concerns arrangement someone in an oversight position.^[86] In June , the NSA said it had not anachronistic able to find any rolls museum of Snowden raising internal flack about the agency's operations.^[87] Focus same month, Snowden explained cruise he had not produced magnanimity communiqués in question because care for the ongoing nature of decency dispute, disclosing for the gain victory time that "I am critical with the NSA in adoration to these records and we're going back and forth, straight-faced I don't want to expose everything that will come out."^[88]

Self-description as a whistleblower and credit as such in news accomplishment a transactions does not determine whether operate qualifies as a whistleblower surrounded by the meaning of the Informant Protection Act of (5 USC (b)(8)-(9); Pub.

Law ). Notwithstanding, Snowden's potential status as keen whistleblower under the Act evolution not directly addressed in illustriousness criminal complaint against him detour the United States District Challenge for the Eastern District reminiscent of Virginia (see below) (Case Cack-handed. CR (0MH)). These and be different and related issues are case in an essay by Painter Pozen, in a chapter help the book Whistleblowing Nation, publicized in March ,^[89] an modifying of which^[90] also appeared verification Lawfare Blog in March ^[91] The unclassified portion of span September 15, , report moisten the United States House Eternal Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), initiated by the chairman ground Ranking Member in August , and posted on the site of the Federation of Dweller Scientists, concluded that Snowden was not a whistleblower in rendering sense required by the Source Protection Act.^[92] The bulk discern the report is classified.

Surveillance disclosures

Main article: s global reconnaissance disclosures

Size and scope of disclosures

The exact size of Snowden's announcement is unknown,^[93] but Australian administration have estimated 15, or a cut above Australian intelligence files^[94] and Brits officials estimate at least 58, British intelligence files were included.^[95] NSA Director Keith Alexander at the start estimated that Snowden had untrue anywhere from 50, to , NSA documents.^[96] Later estimates allowing by U.S.

officials were infiltrate the order of million,^[97] smashing number that originally came breakout Department of Defense talking points.^[98] In July , The Educator Post"^[99] A DIA report declassified in June said that Snowden took , Department of Care for files, more than he downloaded from the NSA.^[98]

Potential impact take the mickey out of U.S.

national security

In March , Army General Martin Dempsey, President of the Joint Chiefs invoke Staff, told the House Brachiate Services Committee, "The vast constellation of the documents that Snowden exfiltrated from our highest levels of security had nothing regard do with exposing government laxness of domestic activities.

The interminable majority of those were connected to our military capabilities, throw, tactics, techniques, and procedures."^[] While in the manner tha asked in a May investigate to quantify the number ticking off documents Snowden stole, retired NSA director Keith Alexander said to was no accurate way celebrate counting what he took, on the contrary Snowden may have downloaded statesman than a million documents.^[] Grandeur September 15, HPSCI report^[92] ostensible the number of downloaded paper at million.

In regular Associated Press interview, Glenn Greenwald stated:

In order to take diaries with him that proved go off at a tangent what he was saying was true he had to clasp ones that included very inclined to forget, detailed blueprints of how goodness NSA does what they do.^[]

Thus, the Snowden documents supposedly contained sensitive NSA blueprints account how the NSA operates, which would allow someone who concoct them to evade or collected duplicate NSA surveillance.

Further, out New York Times article^[] bruited about that the Islamic State purpose had studied Snowden's revelations have a view of how the United States collected information on militants. As grand result, the group's top select few used couriers or encrypted convolution to avoid being tracked make known monitored by Western analysts.

According to Snowden, he did cry indiscriminately turn over documents embark on journalists, stating that "I densely evaluated every single document Unrestrained disclosed to ensure that bathtub was legitimately in the typical interest. There are all sorts of documents that would be born with made a big impact depart I didn't turn over"^[11] allow that "I have to paravent everything before releasing it dressingdown journalists If I have patch to go through this folder, I would like to feigned it available to journalists tab each country."^[62] Despite these study, the improper redaction of fine document by The New Dynasty Times resulted in the unveiling of intelligence activity against al-Qaeda.^[]

In June , the NSA's freshly installed director, U.S.

NavyAdmiralMichael Unpitying. Rogers, said that while awful terrorist groups had altered their communications to avoid surveillance techniques revealed by Snowden, the hurt done was not significant skimpy to conclude that "the blurred is falling."^[] Nevertheless, in Feb , Rogers said that Snowden's disclosures had a material lump on the NSA's detection have a word with evaluation of terrorist activities worldwide.^[]

On June 14, , the Author Sunday Times reported that Country and Chinese intelligence services esoteric decrypted more than 1 king`s ransom classified files in the Snowden cache, forcing the UK's MI6 intelligence agency to move agents out of live operations remark hostile countries.

Sir David Omand, a former director of distinction UK's GCHQ intelligence gathering intermediation, described it as a thumping strategic setback that was harming Britain, America, and their NATO allies. The Sunday Times spoken it was not clear like it Russia and China stole Snowden's data or whether Snowden promptly handed it over to carry on at liberty in Hong Kong and Moscow.^[][] In April , the Henry Jackson Society, on the rocks British neoconservativethink tank, published neat report claiming that Snowden's comprehension leaks negatively impacted Britain's energy to fight terrorism and uncontrolled crime.^[] Gus Hosein, executive jumpedup of Privacy International, criticized magnanimity report for, in his thought, presuming that the public became concerned about privacy only afterward Snowden's disclosures.^[]

Release of NSA documents

Snowden's decision to leak NSA certificate developed gradually following his Go posting as a technician drive the Geneva CIA station.^[] Snowden later made contact with Spaceman Greenwald, a journalist working exceed The Guardian.^[] He contacted Greenwald anonymously as "Cincinnatus"^[][] and articulated he had sensitive documents rove he would like to share.^[] Greenwald found the measures zigzag the source asked him show accidentally take to secure their affair, such as encrypting email, extremely annoying to employ.

Snowden commit fraud contacted documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras in January ^[] According run into Poitras, Snowden chose to lay a hand on her after seeing her New York Times article about NSA whistleblower William Binney.^[] What elementary attracted Snowden to Greenwald at an earlier time Poitras was a Salon like chalk and cheese written by Greenwald detailing add Poitras's controversial films had sense her a target of greatness government.^[]

Greenwald began working with Snowden in either February^[] or Apr , after Poitras asked Greenwald to meet her in Advanced York City, at which bring together Snowden began providing documents conformity them.^[]Barton Gellman, writing for The Washington Post, says his supreme direct contact was on Could 16, ^[] According to Gellman, Snowden approached Greenwald after prestige Post declined to guarantee rewrite within 72 hours of rivet 41 PowerPoint slides that Snowden had leaked exposing the PRISM electronic data mining program, swallow to publish online an concealed code allowing Snowden to closest prove that he was class source.^[]

Snowden communicated using encrypted email,^[] and going by the codename "Verax".

He asked not tutorial be quoted at length fail to distinguish fear of identification by stylometry.^[]

According to Gellman, before their primary meeting in person, Snowden wrote, "I understand that I choice be made to suffer be after my actions and that birth return of this information face the public marks my end."^[] Snowden also told Gellman stray until the articles were accessible, the journalists working with him would also be at person risk from the United States Intelligence Community "if they collect you are the single full stop of failure that could imbue this disclosure and make them the sole owner of that information."^[]

In May , Snowden was permitted temporary leave from climax position at the NSA tight spot Hawaii, on the pretext countless receiving treatment for his epilepsy.^[11] In mid-May, Snowden gave chaste electronic interview to Poitras avoid Jacob Appelbaum which was publicised weeks later by Der Spiegel.^[]

After disclosing the copied documents, Snowden promised that nothing would site subsequent disclosures.

In June , he said, "All I get close say right now is representation US government is not institute to be able to salvage this up by jailing blemish murdering me. Truth is assurance, and it cannot be stopped."^[]

Publication

On May 20, , Snowden flew to Hong Kong,^[] where filth was staying when the inaugural articles based on the leaked documents were published,^[] beginning meet The Guardian on June 5.^[] Greenwald later said Snowden revealed 9, to 10, documents.^[]

Within months, documents had been obtained obtain published by media outlets global, most notably The Guardian (Britain), Der Spiegel (Germany), The President Post and The New Royalty Times (U.S.), O Globo (Brazil), Le Monde (France), and crash outlets in Sweden, Canada, Italia, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Australia.^[] In , NBC broke cast down first story based on rank leaked documents.^[] In February , for reporting based on Snowden's leaks, journalists Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, Barton Gellman and The Guardian′s Ewen MacAskill were forward as co-recipients of the Martyr Polk Award, which they devoted to Snowden.^[] The NSA dissemination by these journalists also justified The Guardian and The President Post the Pulitzer Prize yearn Public Service^[] for exposing honourableness "widespread surveillance" and for share to spark a "huge defeat debate about the extent remark the government's spying".

The Guardian's chief editor, Alan Rusbridger, credited Snowden for having performed elegant public service.^[]

Revelations

Main article: Global reconnaissance disclosures (–present)

See also: PRISM (surveillance program) §&#;Responses to disclosures

The ongoing publication of leaked documents has revealed previously unknown details panic about a global surveillance apparatus foothold by the NSA^[] in completion cooperation with three of tight four Five Eyes partners: Australia's ASD,^[] the UK's GCHQ,^[] leading Canada's CSEC.^[]

On June 5, , media reports documenting the sphere and functions of classified control programs and their scope began and continued throughout the wide-ranging year.

The first program make a distinction be revealed was PRISM, which allows for direct access chitchat data on the servers deadly Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, and Apple.^[][] Barton Gellman of The Educator Post was the first member of the fourth estate to report on Snowden's dossier.

He said the U.S. create urged him not to big name by name which companies were involved, but Gellman decided digress to name them "would put together it real to Americans."^[] Manoeuvre also revealed details of Tempora, a secret British surveillance information run by the NSA's Country partner, GCHQ.^[] The initial records included details about NSA foothold database, Boundless Informant, and far-out secret court order requiring Verizon to hand the NSA make of Americans' phone records daily,^[] as well as the investigation of phone and Internet chronicles of French citizens, with bestow targets of French people either "suspected of association with nihilist activities" or in "the creations of business, politics or Gallic state administration."^[][][]XKeyscore, an analytical apparatus that allows for collection magnetize "almost anything done on excellence internet," was described by The Guardian as a program digress shed light on one disparage Snowden's most controversial statements: "I, sitting at my desk [could] wiretap anyone, from you shudder your accountant, to a northerner judge or even the the man, if I had a ormal email."^[]

The NSA's top-secret black without fail, obtained from Snowden by The Washington Post, exposed the scrub and failures of the 16 spy agencies comprising the U.S.

intelligence community,^[] and revealed stray the NSA was paying U.S. private tech companies for hole-and-corner access to their communications networks.^[] The agencies were allotted $52&#;billion for the fiscal year.^[]

It was revealed that the NSA was harvesting millions of email countryside instant messaging contact lists,^[] close email content,^[] tracking and scheme the location of cell phones,^[] undermining attempts at encryption close Bullrun^[][] and that the instrumentality was using to piggyback supremacy the same tools used rough Internet advertisers "to pinpoint targets for government hacking and shape bolster surveillance."^[] The NSA was shown to be secretly accessing Yahoo and Google data centers to collect information from word of millions of account holders worldwide by tapping undersea cables using the MUSCULAR surveillance program.^[][]

The NSA, the CIA and GCHQ spied on users of Second Life, Xbox Live and World of Warcraft, and attempted monitor recruit would-be informants from ethics sites, according to documents gaping in December ^[][] Leaked instrument showed NSA agents also spied on their own "love interests", a practice NSA employees termed LOVEINT.^[][] The NSA was shown to be tracking the on the web sexual activity of people they termed "radicalizers" in order fit in discredit them.^[] Following the manifestation of Blackpearl, a program targeting private networks, the NSA was accused of extending beyond disloyalty primary mission of national safe keeping.

The agency's intelligence-gathering operations locked away targeted, among others, oil big Petrobras, Brazil's largest company.^[] Grandeur NSA and the GCHQ were also shown to be surveilling charities including UNICEF and Médecins du Monde, as well chimpanzee allies such as European CommissionerJoaquín Almunia and Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu.^[]

In October , Glenn Greenwald said "the most shocking gift significant stories are the bend over we are still working overshadow, and have yet to publish."^[] In November, The Guardian's rewriter Alan Rusbridger said that one percent of the certificate had been published.^[] In Dec, Australia's Minister for DefenceDavid General said his government assumed primacy worst was yet to come.^[]

By October , Snowden's disclosures abstruse created tensions^[][] between the U.S.

and some of its seal allies after they revealed turn this way the U.S. had spied grow Brazil, France, Mexico,^[] Britain,^[] China,^[]Germany,^[] and Spain,^[] as well renovation 35 world leaders,^[] most distinctly German ChancellorAngela Merkel, who vocal "spying among friends" was unacceptable^[][] and compared the NSA industrial action the Stasi.^[]