Snowden Disclosures
The 2013 leaks that exposed mass surveillance programs and reshaped privacy law
Overview
In June 2013 the former NSA contractor Edward Snowden disclosed classified programs to journalists at the Guardian and the Washington Post, including the bulk collection of American telephone metadata and PRISM, with follow-on reporting describing allied operations such as Tempora. The releases triggered global debate over privacy, surveillance, and alliance trust, and a presidential review board recommended restraint. The USA Freedom Act of 2015 ended the bulk program. Snowden faces espionage charges in the United States and lives in Russia.
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