A Virtual Conversation with Edward Snowden
In June 2013, Snowden leaked thousands of highly classified National Security Agency (NSA) documents which provided evidence of the U.S. government’s surveillance of citizens. Though he viewed himself as a whistleblower, he was subsequently indicted on federal espionage and theft charges and fled the country to avoid prosecution. Snowden’s appearance at SXSW, via video link from his exile in Russia, was one of his first public appearances since the leak. During this highly-publicized session, he took questions from the audience and discussed his views on the future of the internet and digital security.
Edward Snowden
Digital Rights Activist
Ben Wizner
Director Speech, Privacy & Tech Project, ACLU.
Ben Wizner is director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy & Technology Project, which is dedicated to protecting and expanding the First Amendment freedoms of expression, association, and inquiry; expanding the right to privacy and increasing the control that individuals have over their personal information; and ensuring that civil liberties are enhanced rather than compromised by new advances in science and technology.
Christopher Soghoian
ACLU.
Dubbed the “Ralph Nader for the Internet Age” by Wired and “the most prominent of a new breed of activist technology researchers” by the Economist, Christopher Soghoian works at the intersection of technology, law, and policy. A leading expert on privacy and government surveillance, Soghoian is currently the Principal Technologist with the Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project at the American Civil Liberties Union.
