Edward Snowden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edward Snowden
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Snowden in 2013
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| Born |
Edward Joseph Snowden
June 21, 1983 |
| Citizenship |
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| Alma mater |
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| Occupation | Computer security consultant |
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| Known for | Revealing classified U.S. Government surveillance programs; in exile in Russia since June 23, 2013 |
| Spouse(s) |
Lindsay Mills
(m. 2017) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Edward J. Barrett (grandfather) |
| Awards | Right Livelihood Award |
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Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American computer expert. He used to work for the NSA, a U.S. government intelligence agency. Snowden became known as a whistleblower. This means he shared secret government documents with the public. These documents showed that governments were running huge programs to watch people's communications around the world.
Snowden's actions caused a lot of debate. Some people praised him for telling the public what was happening. Others said he broke the law by revealing secrets. Snowden himself said he wanted to "inform the public" about what governments were doing. His actions led to big discussions about privacy, government secrets, and national security.
In 2020, a U.S. court said that one of the mass surveillance programs Snowden revealed was illegal. Snowden became a naturalized Russian citizen in 2022.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Edward Joseph Snowden was born on June 21, 1983, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. His father worked for the United States Coast Guard. His mother worked for a U.S. District Court. Edward came from a family where many members worked for the government. He expected to do the same.
In the early 1990s, his family moved to Fort Meade, Maryland. This area is home to the NSA. Snowden missed a lot of high school due to illness. Instead of going back, he passed the GED test. He took classes at Anne Arundel Community College. Later, he studied online for a master's degree from the University of Liverpool in England.
Snowden was interested in Japanese popular culture. He studied the Japanese language. He also knew some Mandarin Chinese. He was very interested in martial arts. When he was 20, he said his religion was Buddhism.
Career and Disclosures
In 2004, Snowden joined the United States Army. He wanted to fight in the Iraq War. However, he got a leg injury during training. He had to leave the army after a few months.
After that, Snowden worked as a security guard. In 2013, he was working for a company that helped the National Security Agency (NSA). While there, he found out about many secret government programs. These programs collected a lot of information about people's phone calls and internet use.
Snowden felt that the public needed to know about these programs. He believed they were too secret and affected people's privacy. He tried to share his concerns through official channels, but he felt ignored.
In May 2013, Snowden traveled to Hong Kong. He then shared thousands of secret NSA documents with journalists. Stories based on these documents appeared in major newspapers like The Guardian and The Washington Post. This made Snowden famous around the world.
The U.S. government said Snowden had broken laws by sharing these secrets. They canceled his passport. In June 2013, he flew to Moscow, Russia. He was stuck at the airport for over a month. Russia later gave him permission to stay. He has lived in Russia ever since. In 2022, he became a Russian citizen.
Personal Life
In 2019, Edward Snowden shared that he married Lindsay Mills in Moscow. They have two sons. Their first son was born in December 2020. Their second son was born before September 2022.
Recognition
Snowden has received awards and honors for his actions. Many groups in Europe and the United States have recognized him. In 2013, The Guardian newspaper voted him their "person of the year."
The "Snowden Effect"
After Snowden's leaks, many people started talking about privacy and government surveillance. This led to what some call the "Snowden effect." It means that people learned more about how governments collect information. It also changed how people around the world viewed the United States. Many people became more concerned about their privacy online and on their phones.
Images for kids
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This image shows how the NSA's MUSCULAR program could access user data from companies like Google.
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This chart shows the U.S. intelligence budget from 2013.
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This slide shows PRISM, a secret program where the NSA collected user data from big tech companies.
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This map shows how some European countries denied Bolivia's president, Evo Morales, permission to fly over their airspace.
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A protest in Berlin in 2013 about government surveillance.
See also
In Spanish: Edward Snowden para niños
