Edward Snowden: 'The People Are Still Powerless, But Now They're Aware' (theguardian.com)
Edward Snowden has no regrets
five years on from leaking the biggest cache of top-secret documents in history. He is wanted by the US. He is in exile in Russia. But he is satisfied with the way his revelations of mass surveillance have rocked governments, intelligence agencies and major internet companies. From a report Snowden, weighing up the changes, said some privacy campaigners had expressed disappointment with how things have developed, but he did not share it. "People say nothing has changed: that there is still mass surveillance. That is not how you measure change. Look back before 2013 and look at what has happened since. Everything changed."
The most important change, he said, was public awareness. "The government and corporate sector preyed on our ignorance. But now we know. People are aware now. People are still powerless to stop it but we are trying. The revelations made the fight more even."
The most important change, he said, was public awareness. "The government and corporate sector preyed on our ignorance. But now we know. People are aware now. People are still powerless to stop it but we are trying. The revelations made the fight more even."
"Privacy is Treason." Straight out of 1984 right there.
A more accurate way of putting that is that the US is so full of shit that he had to turn to Russia, of all places, for his own safety. Instead of trying to fix the problem, the US government decided to try to shoot the messenger who uncovered their criminal activity (and yes, until the Fourth Amendment is officially repealed instead of just blatantly disregarded, spying on citizens is still criminal).