Edward Snowden

Explanation

Edward Snowden is a whistleblower who in 2013 leaked thousands of classified documents detailing extensive surveillance by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and its partners. His disclosures exposed programs that collected phone metadata, monitored internet traffic, and spied on foreign leaders. Snowden’s revelations ignited a global debate about privacy, state power, and accountability, raising concerns over mass surveillance’s impact on civil liberties. He remains a controversial figure, viewed by some as a hero defending democracy and by others as a traitor who endangered national security.