Update | 'Mission accomplished': Edward Snowden validated by response to NSA leaks
Whistle-blower says he is satisfied that the story of government surveillance has been told, sparking debate and even hints of reform in Washington and the world
National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden said his “mission is already accomplished” after revealing NSA secrets that have caused a reassessment of US surveillance policies.
“I already won. As soon as the journalists were able to work, everything that I had been trying to do was validated,” Snowden told The Washington Post in an interview published online on Monday night.
“Because, remember, I didn’t want to change society. I wanted to give society a chance to determine if it should change itself.”
Snowden told that he was satisfied because journalists have been able to tell the story of the government’s collection of bulk internet and phone records, an activity that has grown dramatically in the decade since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
President Barack Obama hinted on Friday that he would consider some changes to NSA’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records to address the public’s concerns about privacy.
