Edward Snowden: the NSA contractor who sacrificed all for good conscience
How idealism turned to a belief he was part of 'something doing far more harm than good'
The individual responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history is Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton.
Snowden has worked at the National Security Agency for the past four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including Booz Allen and Dell. He had "a very comfortable life" that included a US$200,000 salary, a girlfriend with whom he shared a home in Hawaii, a stable career and a family he loves.
"I'm willing to sacrifice all of that because I can't in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building," he said.
Three weeks ago, Snowden made preparations that resulted in last week's series of blockbuster news stories. At the NSA office in Hawaii where he worked, he copied the last set of documents he intended to disclose. He then advised his NSA supervisor that he needed to be away from work for "a couple of weeks" to receive treatment for epilepsy. As he packed his bags, he told his girlfriend he had to be away for a few weeks, though he was vague about the reason.
On May 20, he boarded a flight to Hong Kong, where he has remained ever since.
Snowden did not always believe the US government posed a threat to his political values. In 2003, he enlisted in the US Army and began a training programme to join the Special Forces. Invoking the same principles that he now cites to justify his leaks, he said: "I wanted to fight in the Iraq war because I felt like I had an obligation as a human being to help free people from oppression."