🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 51 (from laksa042)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa051.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/11/us/edward-snowden-fast-facts\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/11/us/edward-snowden-fast-facts\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/09\/11\/us\/edward-snowden-fast-facts","crawl_time":1775307714,"first_indexed_time":1664219972,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,cnn!www,\/2013\/09\/11\/us\/edward-snowden-fast-facts s443","src_root_hash":"2312100192101524051","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Edward Snowden Fast Facts | CNN","meta_descriptions":["Read Fast Facts on CNN about Edward Snowden, and learn more about the man who admitted to leaking information about US surveillance programs to the press."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"CNN\n — \nHere is a look at the life of Edward Snowden, who admitted to leaking information about US surveillance programs to the press.\nBirth date:\nJune 21, 1983\nBirth place:\nElizabeth City, North Carolina\nBirth name:\nEdward Joseph Snowden\nFather:\nLonnie Snowden, former Coast Guard officer\nMother:\nElizabeth Snowden, federal court administrator\nMarriage:\nLindsay Mills (2017-present)\nChildren:\nwith Lindsay Mills: two children\nDropped out of high school.\nThe Guardian reported that in 2009, Snowden got the first of several jobs with private contractors that worked with the National Security Agency (NSA).\nMay 7, 2004 -\nEnlists in the Army Reserve as a Special Forces candidate.\nSeptember 28, 2004 -\nIs discharged from the Army Reserve without completing any training.\n2013 -\nWorks for Booz Allen Hamilton for less than three months, assigned to a team in Hawaii. Snowden is terminated on June 10, 2013.\nMay 16, 2013 -\nSnowden has his first direct exchange with Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman.\nMay 20, 2013 -\nSnowden leaves for Hong Kong.\nMay 24, 2013 -\nIn an email to Gellman, Snowden requests that the Post publish information about PRISM, a surveillance program that gathers information from\nFacebook,\nMicrosoft,\nGoogle\nand others.\nJune 5, 2013 -\nThe\nGuardian reports\nthat the US government has obtained a secret court order that requires Verizon to turn over the telephone records of millions of Americans to the NSA.\nJune 6, 2013 -\nThe Guardian and the Washington Post disclose the existence of PRISM, a program they say allows the NSA to extract the details of customer activities – including “audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents” and other materials – from computers at Microsoft, Google,\nApple\nand other Internet companies.\nJune 9, 2013 -\nThe Guardian and Washington Post disclose Snowden as their source for the intelligence related leaks.\nJune 9, 2013 -\nBooz Allen Hamilton releases a statement confirming that Snowden has been an employee of their firm for almost three months.\nJune 12, 2013 -\nThe South China Morning Post publishes an interview with Snowden in which he says that US intelligence agents have been hacking networks around the world for years.\nJune 17, 2013 -\nDuring a live online chat, the person identified as Snowden by Britain’s Guardian newspaper insists that US authorities have access to phone calls, emails and other communications far beyond constitutional bounds.\nJune 18, 2013 -\nTestifying before the House Intelligence Committee,\nFBI Deputy Director Sean Joyce details how the PRISM program has helped stop several alleged terrorist attacks.\nJune 21, 2013 -\nFederal prosecutors unseal a complaint filed in US District Court in Virginia on June 14, 2013, charging Snowden with espionage and theft of government property.\nJune 22, 2013 -\nA senior US administration official says the United States has contacted authorities in Hong Kong to seek the extradition of Snowden.\nJune 23, 2013 -\nSnowden flies to Moscow from Hong Kong.\nRussian President Vladimir Putin\nlater verifies that Snowden is in the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport.\nJune 23, 2013 -\nA source tells CNN that the US government has revoked Snowden’s passport.\nJune 30, 2013 -\nGerman news magazine Der Spiegel reports that classified leaks by Snowden detail NSA bugging of European Union offices in Washington and New York, as well as an EU building in Brussels.\nJuly 12, 2013 -\nSnowden meets with human rights activists and lawyers\n. He says he is requesting asylum from Russia while he awaits safe passage to Latin America.\nJuly 16, 2013 -\nSnowden’s Russian attorney, Anatoly Kucherena, tells CNN that Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia. If his request is granted, he would be able to live in Russia for at least a year.\nJuly 24, 2013 -\nRussian news media reports that Russia has approved documents that would allow Snowden to enter the rest of the country while his temporary asylum request is considered.\nAugust 1, 2013 -\nKucherena tells CNN that Snowden’s application for political asylum for a year has been approved and he has left the Moscow airport.\nOctober 31, 2013 -\nKucherena tells CNN that his client has been hired by an unnamed Russian website.\nNovember 3, 2013 -\nA letter, purportedly written by Snowden, is published in the German magazine Der Spiegel. The letter, titled “A Manifesto for the Truth” says, “mass surveillance is a global problem and needs a global solution.”\nDecember 17, 2013 -\nSnowden posts an\nopen letter to Brazil\n, offering to help investigate US surveillance of Brazilian citizens.\nJanuary 23, 2014 -\nAttorney General Eric Holder\nsays, “If Mr. Snowden wanted to come back to the United States and enter a plea, we would engage with his lawyers.” Snowden says in an online chat the same day that, “(a return to the US is) unfortunately not possible in the face of current whistle-blower protection laws.”\nMarch 10, 2014 -\nSnowden speaks via teleconference from Russia to an audience of thousands at the\nSouth by Southwest\nInteractive Festival in Austin, Texas, urging the audience to help “fix” the US government’s surveillance of its citizens. The event marks the first time Snowden has directly addressed people in the United States since he fled the country with thousands of secret documents last June.\nMay 28, 2014 -\nNBC News airs an interview with Snowden in which he claims, “I was trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word – in that I lived and worked undercover, overseas, pretending to work in a job that I’m not – and even being assigned a name that was not mine.” In an interview with Wolf Blitzer,\nNSA Adviser Susan Rice denies that Snowden was ever a US spy\n.\nAugust 7, 2014 -\nSnowden’s attorney announces that he has been granted an extension to stay in Russia for three more years.\nFebruary 23, 2015 -\nNSA Director Adm. Michael Rogers says that\nSnowden’s surveillance leaks have had a “material impact” on the agency’s ability to prevent and detect terror plots.\nJune 4, 2015 -\nIn response to\nUS President Barack Obama\nsigning the USA Freedom Act that will limit our nation’s surveillance on private citizens, Snowden writes an op-ed for The New York Times saying, “ending the mass surveillance of private phone calls under the Patriot Act is a historic victory for the rights of every citizen…”\nJuly 28, 2015 -\nThe White House rejects a petition to pardon Snowden and maintains its position that Snowden should return to the United States. The petition contains over 167,000 signatures supporting Snowden.\nSeptember 29, 2015 -\nSnowden joins Twitter\nand gains\nover 110,000 followers in less than an hour\nafter posting his first tweet.\nOctober 5, 2015 -\nAccording to Snowden, he is\nwilling to go to prison\nif he is permitted to return to the United States. Snowden and his lawyers wait to discuss a deal with the US government.\nMay 30, 2016 -\nHolder says Snowden\nperformed a “public service” by triggering a debate over surveillance techniques,\nbut still must pay a penalty for illegally leaking a trove of classified intelligence documents.\nSeptember 16, 2016 -\nThe film “\nSnowden\n,” directed by Oliver Stone, opens in US theaters.\nDecember 22, 2016 -\nCongress releases a report saying\nSnowden has been in contact with Russian intelligence officials\nsince arriving in Russia. Snowden immediately takes to Twitter following the report’s release to dispute the accusations, writing “they claim without evidence that I’m in cahoots with the Russians.”\nJanuary 17, 2017 -\nRussia extends Snowden’s asylum until 2020.\nSeptember 17, 2019 -\nSnowden’s memoir,\n“Permanent Record,”\nis published.\nSeptember 17, 2019 -\nThe US Justice Department sues Snowden for allegedly breaking contracts he signed with the CIA and NSA from 2005 to 2013.\nThe lawsuit claims Snowden should have submitted any of his writings for agency review before publication if they included intelligence information and that he needed written approval from the agencies before he could publish.\nApril 16, 2020 -\nKucherena tells Russia’s TASS news agency that Snowden has\nfiled a request to extend his residency permit in Russia for three more years\n.\nSeptember 18, 2020 -\nAccording to court records,\nSnowden agrees to forfeit to the US government more than $5 million\nhe earned from his book and speaking fees. In the agreement, Snowden says he still wants the ability to appeal the judge’s earlier decision against him.\nOctober 22, 2020 -\nSnowden has been given permanent residency in Russia\n, his lawyer tells state-run news agency RIA Novosti.\nNovember 2, 2020 -\nSnowden announces that he and his wife\nare applying for Russian citizenship while also keeping their US nationalities.\nSeptember 26, 2022 -\nPutin grants Snowden Russian citizenship,\naccording to an official decree published on the Russian government portal.\nDecember 2, 2022 -\nRussian news agency TASS reports that Snowden has received a Russian passport. Kucherena confirms Snowden has taken an oath of allegiance to Russia.","attrs_markdown":"Thank You\\!\n\nYour effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much appreciated.\n\nClose\n\nAd Feedback\n\n[US](https:\/\/cnn.com\/us)\n\n[Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)\n\n[Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)\n\n[Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)\n\n[Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)\n\n[Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n\n[More]()\n\n[Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)   [Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)   [Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)   [Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)   [Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n\n[Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/watch)   [Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)\n\nSubscribe\n\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/09\/11\/us\/edward-snowden-fast-facts)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/09\/11\/us\/edward-snowden-fast-facts)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\n[Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)   [Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/watch)\n***\nEdition\n\n[US](https:\/\/us.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[International](https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[Arabic](https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[Español](https:\/\/cnnespanol.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\nEdition\n\n- [US](https:\/\/us.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [International](https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [Arabic](https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [Español](https:\/\/cnnespanol.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n***\n[Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)\n\n[Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)\n\n[Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)\n\n[Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)\n\n[Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n***\nFollow CNN\n\nDownload the CNN App\n***\n\n- [US](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us)\n  - 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Stroebele returned from the meeting with a letter from Snowden to German authorities, which was distributed to the media. In it, Snowden said he is confident that with international support, the United States would abandon its efforts to \"treat dissent as defection\" and \"criminalize political speech with felony charges.\"](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/131031193835-snowden-stroebele.jpg?q=w_2000,h_1125,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nNational Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden poses with German Green party parliamentarian Hans-Christian Stroebele in Moscow on October 31. Stroebele returned from the meeting with a letter from Snowden to German authorities, which was distributed to the media. In it, Snowden said he is confident that with international support, the United States would abandon its efforts to \"treat dissent as defection\" and \"criminalize political speech with felony charges.\"\n\nHANS-CHRISTIAN STROEBELE'S OFFICE\/AFP\/Getty images.\n\n![Snowden's refugee document granted by Russia is seen during a news conference in Moscow on August 1. Snowden slipped quietly out of the airport \\<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/08\/01\/us\/nsa-snowden\/index.html?hpt=hp\\_t2\"\\>after securing temporary asylum in Russia\\<\/a\\>, ending more than a month in limbo.](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/130801190721-02-snowden.jpg?q=w_2200,h_1745,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nSnowden's refugee document granted by Russia is seen during a news conference in Moscow on August 1. Snowden slipped quietly out of the airport [after securing temporary asylum in Russia](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/08\/01\/us\/nsa-snowden\/index.html?hpt=hp_t2), ending more than a month in limbo.\n\nMAXIM SHEMETOV\/REUTERS\/LANDOV\n\n![Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, leaves a last-minute news conference at the U.S. Capitol after Russia announced that it would grant Snowden temporary asylum on August 1. \"Russia has stabbed us in the back, and each day that Mr. Snowden is allowed to roam free is another twist of the knife,\" he said.](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/130801195227-15-snowden.jpg?q=w_3000,h_2000,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nSen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, leaves a last-minute news conference at the U.S. Capitol after Russia announced that it would grant Snowden temporary asylum on August 1. \"Russia has stabbed us in the back, and each day that Mr. Snowden is allowed to roam free is another twist of the knife,\" he said.\n\nChip Somodevilla\/Getty Images\n\n![Snowden's father, Lon Snowden, who has adamantly supported his son, talks to reporters in Washington on Tuesday, July 30. He has urged his son to remain in Russia \"until we have assurances that he would receive a fair trial.\"](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/130801205923-16-snowden.jpg?q=w_3157,h_2234,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nSnowden's father, Lon Snowden, who has adamantly supported his son, talks to reporters in Washington on Tuesday, July 30. He has urged his son to remain in Russia \"until we have assurances that he would receive a fair trial.\"\n\nLinda Davidson\/The Washington Post via Getty Images\n\n![Demonstrators in Berlin hold a protest march on Saturday, July 27, in support of Snowden and WikiLeaks document provider Bradley Manning. \\<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/08\/01\/us\/snowden-manning\/index.html\"\\>Both men have been portrayed as traitors\\<\/a\\> and whistle-blowers. Manning was acquitted on July 30 on the most serious charge of aiding the enemy, but he was convicted on several other counts and likely faces a lengthy term in a military prison.](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/130801190830-03-snowden.jpg?q=w_3000,h_2000,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nDemonstrators in Berlin hold a protest march on Saturday, July 27, in support of Snowden and WikiLeaks document provider Bradley Manning. [Both men have been portrayed as traitors](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/08\/01\/us\/snowden-manning\/index.html) and whistle-blowers. Manning was acquitted on July 30 on the most serious charge of aiding the enemy, but he was convicted on several other counts and likely faces a lengthy term in a military prison.\n\nSean Gallup\/Getty Images\n\n![Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, center, speaks with journalists at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow after meeting with Snowden on Wednesday, July 24. Kucherena said he was in daily contact with Russian authorities about securing permission for Snowden to leave the airport.](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/130801190907-04-snowden.jpg?q=w_4928,h_3280,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nRussian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, center, speaks with journalists at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow after meeting with Snowden on Wednesday, July 24. Kucherena said he was in daily contact with Russian authorities about securing permission for Snowden to leave the airport.\n\nKIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV\/AFP\/Getty Images\n\n![Snowden meets with human rights activists and lawyers on July 12 in a transit zone of the Russian airport. It was his first public appearance since he left Hong Kong on June 23. He announced that he was seeking refuge Russia while awaiting safe passage to Latin America, where he has been offered asylum.](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/130801192958-06-snowden.jpg?q=w_980,h_735,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nSnowden meets with human rights activists and lawyers on July 12 in a transit zone of the Russian airport. It was his first public appearance since he left Hong Kong on June 23. He announced that he was seeking refuge Russia while awaiting safe passage to Latin America, where he has been offered asylum.\n\nTanya Lokshina\/HRW\n\n![Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting in Prokhorovka on July 12. Russian officials said Snowden abandoned his effort to seek asylum in the country after Putin warned that he would have to stop leaking information about U.S. surveillance programs if he wanted to stay.](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/130801194053-08-snowden.jpg?q=w_3352,h_2407,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nRussian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting in Prokhorovka on July 12. Russian officials said Snowden abandoned his effort to seek asylum in the country after Putin warned that he would have to stop leaking information about U.S. surveillance programs if he wanted to stay.\n\nALEXEI NIKOLSKY\/AFP\/Getty Images\n\n![A woman burns American flags during a protest in support of Bolivian President Evo Morales in front of the U.S. embassy in Mexico City on July 4. Leftist Latin American leaders and activists were fuming after some European nations temporarily refused Morales' plane access to their airspace amid suspicions Snowden was aboard.](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/130801194146-09-snowden.jpg?q=w_3597,h_2615,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nA woman burns American flags during a protest in support of Bolivian President Evo Morales in front of the U.S. embassy in Mexico City on July 4. Leftist Latin American leaders and activists were fuming after some European nations temporarily refused Morales' plane access to their airspace amid suspicions Snowden was aboard.\n\nRonaldo Schemidt\/AFP\/Getty Images\n\n![Bolivian President Evo Morales holds a news conference at the Vienna International Airport on July 3. He angrily denied any wrongdoing after his plane was diverted to Vienna and said that Bolivia is willing to give \\<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/07\/06\/world\/snowden-asylum-options\/index.html\"\\>asylum to Snowden\\<\/a\\>, as \"fair protest\" after four European countries restricted his plane from flying back from Moscow to La Paz.](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/130801194259-10-snowden.jpg?q=w_5022,h_3242,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nBolivian President Evo Morales holds a news conference at the Vienna International Airport on July 3. He angrily denied any wrongdoing after his plane was diverted to Vienna and said that Bolivia is willing to give [asylum to Snowden](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/07\/06\/world\/snowden-asylum-options\/index.html), as \"fair protest\" after four European countries restricted his plane from flying back from Moscow to La Paz.\n\nPATRICK DOMINGO\/AFP\/Getty Images\n\n![Umbrellas with slogans are lined up before a protest march to the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong on June 15. Snowden was hiding in Hong Kong, where he arrived on May 20 before blowing the lid off the NSA surveillance operation.](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/130801194434-11-snowden.jpg?q=w_4256,h_2840,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nUmbrellas with slogans are lined up before a protest march to the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong on June 15. Snowden was hiding in Hong Kong, where he arrived on May 20 before blowing the lid off the NSA surveillance operation.\n\nPHILIPPE LOPEZ\/AFP\/Getty Images\n\n![Protesters in Hong Kong shout slogans in support of Snowden on June 13. The NSA leaker vowed to fight any bid to extradite him from Hong Kong.](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/130801194519-12-snowden.jpg?q=w_4256,h_2840,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nProtesters in Hong Kong shout slogans in support of Snowden on June 13. The NSA leaker vowed to fight any bid to extradite him from Hong Kong.\n\nPHILIPPE LOPEZ\/AFP\/Getty Images\n\n![Graffiti sympathetic to Snowden is stenciled on the sidewalk in San Francisco on June 11.](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/130801194555-13-snowden.jpg?q=w_3000,h_2001,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nGraffiti sympathetic to Snowden is stenciled on the sidewalk in San Francisco on June 11.\n\nJustin Sullivan\/Getty Images\n\n![An American flag flutters in front of the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong on June 10. ](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/130801194628-14-snowden.jpg?q=w_4256,h_2840,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nAn American flag flutters in front of the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong on June 10.\n\nPHILIPPE LOPEZ\/AFP\/Getty Images\n\n![Snowden outs himself on June 9 in the British newspaper The Guardian, which published details of his revelations about the NSA electronic surveillance programs. \"I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong,\" he said in a video interview.](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/130801185914-01-snowden.jpg?q=w_2400,h_1313,x_0,y_0,c_fill\/h_447)\n\nNSA leaker Edward Snowden —\n\nSnowden outs himself on June 9 in the British newspaper The Guardian, which published details of his revelations about the NSA electronic surveillance programs. \"I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong,\" he said in a video interview.\n\nThe Guardian via Getty Images\n##### Photos: NSA leaker Edward Snowden\nPrev\n\nNext\n\nCNN\n\n—\n\nHere is a look at the life of Edward Snowden, who admitted to leaking information about US surveillance programs to the press.\n\n## Personal\n**Birth date:** June 21, 1983\n\n**Birth place:** Elizabeth City, North Carolina\n\n**Birth name:** Edward Joseph Snowden\n\n**Father:** Lonnie Snowden, former Coast Guard officer\n\n**Mother:** Elizabeth Snowden, federal court administrator\n\n**Marriage:** Lindsay Mills (2017-present)\n\n**Children:** with Lindsay Mills: two children\n\n## Other Facts\nDropped out of high school.\n\nThe Guardian reported that in 2009, Snowden got the first of several jobs with private contractors that worked with the National Security Agency (NSA).\n\n## Timeline\n**May 7, 2004 -** Enlists in the Army Reserve as a Special Forces candidate.\n\n**September 28, 2004 -** Is discharged from the Army Reserve without completing any training.\n\n**2013 -** Works for Booz Allen Hamilton for less than three months, assigned to a team in Hawaii. Snowden is terminated on June 10, 2013.\n\n**May 16, 2013 -** [Snowden has his first direct exchange with Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman.](http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/code-name-verax-snowden-in-exchanges-with-post-reporter-made-clear-he-knew-risks\/2013\/06\/09\/c9a25b54-d14c-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html)\n\n**May 20, 2013 -** Snowden leaves for Hong Kong.\n\n**May 24, 2013 -** In an email to Gellman, Snowden requests that the Post publish information about PRISM, a surveillance program that gathers information from [Facebook,](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2014\/02\/11\/world\/facebook-fast-facts\/index.html) Microsoft, [Google](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2014\/06\/30\/business\/google-fast-facts\/index.html) and others.\n\n**June 5, 2013 -** The [Guardian reports](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/06\/05\/politics\/nsa-verizon-records\/index.html) that the US government has obtained a secret court order that requires Verizon to turn over the telephone records of millions of Americans to the NSA.\n\n**June 6, 2013 -** The Guardian and the Washington Post disclose the existence of PRISM, a program they say allows the NSA to extract the details of customer activities – including “audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents” and other materials – from computers at Microsoft, Google, [Apple](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2014\/07\/01\/business\/apple-fast-facts\/index.html) and other Internet companies.\n\n**June 9, 2013 -** [The Guardian and Washington Post disclose Snowden as their source for the intelligence related leaks.](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/06\/09\/politics\/nsa-leak-identity\/index.html)\n\n**June 9, 2013 -** Booz Allen Hamilton releases a statement confirming that Snowden has been an employee of their firm for almost three months.\n\n**June 12, 2013 -** [The South China Morning Post publishes an interview with Snowden in which he says that US intelligence agents have been hacking networks around the world for years.](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/06\/12\/politics\/nsa-leak\/index.html)\n\n**June 17, 2013 -** During a live online chat, the person identified as Snowden by Britain’s Guardian newspaper insists that US authorities have access to phone calls, emails and other communications far beyond constitutional bounds.\n\n**June 18, 2013 -** Testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, [FBI Deputy Director Sean Joyce details how the PRISM program has helped stop several alleged terrorist attacks.](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/06\/18\/politics\/nsa-leaks\/index.html?on.cnn=1)\n\n**June 21, 2013 -** Federal prosecutors unseal a complaint filed in US District Court in Virginia on June 14, 2013, charging Snowden with espionage and theft of government property.\n\n**June 22, 2013 -** A senior US administration official says the United States has contacted authorities in Hong Kong to seek the extradition of Snowden.\n\n**June 23, 2013 -** Snowden flies to Moscow from Hong Kong. [Russian President Vladimir Putin](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/01\/03\/world\/europe\/vladimir-putin---fast-facts\/) later verifies that Snowden is in the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport.\n\n**June 23, 2013 -** A source tells CNN that the US government has revoked Snowden’s passport.\n\n**June 30, 2013 -** [German news magazine Der Spiegel reports that classified leaks by Snowden detail NSA bugging of European Union offices in Washington and New York, as well as an EU building in Brussels.](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/07\/01\/world\/europe\/eu-nsa\/)\n\n**July 12, 2013 -** [Snowden meets with human rights activists and lawyers](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/07\/12\/world\/europe\/russia-us-snowden). He says he is requesting asylum from Russia while he awaits safe passage to Latin America.\n\n**July 16, 2013 -** Snowden’s Russian attorney, Anatoly Kucherena, tells CNN that Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia. If his request is granted, he would be able to live in Russia for at least a year.\n\n**July 24, 2013 -** Russian news media reports that Russia has approved documents that would allow Snowden to enter the rest of the country while his temporary asylum request is considered.\n\n**August 1, 2013 -** Kucherena tells CNN that Snowden’s application for political asylum for a year has been approved and he has left the Moscow airport.\n\n**October 31, 2013 -** Kucherena tells CNN that his client has been hired by an unnamed Russian website.\n\n**November 3, 2013 -** A letter, purportedly written by Snowden, is published in the German magazine Der Spiegel. The letter, titled “A Manifesto for the Truth” says, “mass surveillance is a global problem and needs a global solution.”\n\n**December 17, 2013 -** Snowden posts an [open letter to Brazil](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/12\/17\/world\/americas\/snowden-nsa-brazil-letter\/), offering to help investigate US surveillance of Brazilian citizens.\n\n**January 23, 2014 -** [Attorney General Eric Holder](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/02\/21\/us\/eric-holder-fast-facts\/) says, “If Mr. Snowden wanted to come back to the United States and enter a plea, we would engage with his lawyers.” Snowden says in an online chat the same day that, “(a return to the US is) unfortunately not possible in the face of current whistle-blower protection laws.”\n\n**March 10, 2014 -** Snowden speaks via teleconference from Russia to an audience of thousands at the [South by Southwest](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/09\/13\/us\/south-by-southwest-fast-facts\/) Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, urging the audience to help “fix” the US government’s surveillance of its citizens. The event marks the first time Snowden has directly addressed people in the United States since he fled the country with thousands of secret documents last June.\n\n**May 28, 2014 -** NBC News airs an interview with Snowden in which he claims, “I was trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word – in that I lived and worked undercover, overseas, pretending to work in a job that I’m not – and even being assigned a name that was not mine.” In an interview with Wolf Blitzer, [NSA Adviser Susan Rice denies that Snowden was ever a US spy](http:\/\/transcripts.cnn.com\/TRANSCRIPTS\/1405\/28\/sitroom.01.html).\n\n**August 7, 2014 -** Snowden’s attorney announces that he has been granted an extension to stay in Russia for three more years.\n\n**February 23, 2015 -** NSA Director Adm. Michael Rogers says that [Snowden’s surveillance leaks have had a “material impact” on the agency’s ability to prevent and detect terror plots.](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/02\/23\/politics\/nsa-surveillance-north-korea\/)\n\n**June 4, 2015 -** In response to [US President Barack Obama](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2012\/12\/26\/us\/barack-obama---fast-facts\/index.html) signing the USA Freedom Act that will limit our nation’s surveillance on private citizens, Snowden writes an op-ed for The New York Times saying, “ending the mass surveillance of private phone calls under the Patriot Act is a historic victory for the rights of every citizen…”\n\n**July 28, 2015 -** The White House rejects a petition to pardon Snowden and maintains its position that Snowden should return to the United States. The petition contains over 167,000 signatures supporting Snowden.\n\n**September 29, 2015 -** [Snowden joins Twitter](https:\/\/twitter.com\/Snowden?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) and gains [over 110,000 followers in less than an hour](http:\/\/money.cnn.com\/2015\/09\/29\/media\/edward-snowden-twitter\/) after posting his first tweet.\n\n**October 5, 2015 -** According to Snowden, he is [willing to go to prison](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/10\/06\/politics\/edward-snowden-prison-offer) if he is permitted to return to the United States. Snowden and his lawyers wait to discuss a deal with the US government.\n\n**May 30, 2016 -** Holder says Snowden [performed a “public service” by triggering a debate over surveillance techniques,](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2016\/05\/30\/politics\/axe-files-axelrod-eric-holder\/) but still must pay a penalty for illegally leaking a trove of classified intelligence documents.\n\n**September 16, 2016 -** The film “[Snowden](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2016\/09\/14\/entertainment\/snowden-review\/index.html),” directed by Oliver Stone, opens in US theaters.\n\n**December 22, 2016 -** Congress releases a report saying [Snowden has been in contact with Russian intelligence officials](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2016\/12\/22\/politics\/edward-snowden-russia-intelligence\/index.html) since arriving in Russia. Snowden immediately takes to Twitter following the report’s release to dispute the accusations, writing “they claim without evidence that I’m in cahoots with the Russians.”\n\n**January 17, 2017 -** [Russia extends Snowden’s asylum until 2020.](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/01\/18\/europe\/russia-snowden-asylum-extension\/)\n\n**September 17, 2019 -** Snowden’s memoir, [“Permanent Record,”](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/08\/01\/politics\/edward-snowden-memoir-permanent-record-trnd\/index.html) is published.\n\n**September 17, 2019 -** [The US Justice Department sues Snowden for allegedly breaking contracts he signed with the CIA and NSA from 2005 to 2013.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/09\/17\/politics\/justice-department-sues-edward-snowden\/index.html) The lawsuit claims Snowden should have submitted any of his writings for agency review before publication if they included intelligence information and that he needed written approval from the agencies before he could publish.\n\n**April 16, 2020 -** Kucherena tells Russia’s TASS news agency that Snowden has [filed a request to extend his residency permit in Russia for three more years](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/04\/16\/europe\/edward-snowden-russian-residency-intl\/index.html).\n\n**September 18, 2020 -** According to court records, [Snowden agrees to forfeit to the US government more than \\$5 million](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/09\/21\/politics\/edward-snowden-money-books\/index.html) he earned from his book and speaking fees. In the agreement, Snowden says he still wants the ability to appeal the judge’s earlier decision against him.\n\n**October 22, 2020 -** [Snowden has been given permanent residency in Russia](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/10\/22\/europe\/edward-snowden-russia-residency-intl\/index.html), his lawyer tells state-run news agency RIA Novosti.\n\n**November 2, 2020 -** Snowden announces that he and his wife [are applying for Russian citizenship while also keeping their US nationalities.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/11\/02\/europe\/edward-snowden-russian-citizenship-intl\/index.html)\n\n**September 26, 2022 -** [Putin grants Snowden Russian citizenship,](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/europe\/live-news\/russia-ukraine-war-news-09-26-22\/h_99a0ae1656a28606d71af9a1afda587a) according to an official decree published on the Russian government portal.\n\n**December 2, 2022 -** Russian news agency TASS reports that Snowden has received a Russian passport. Kucherena confirms Snowden has taken an oath of allegiance to Russia.\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\nSubscribe\n***\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/09\/11\/us\/edward-snowden-fast-facts)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\n[Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)   [Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/watch)\n***\n- [US](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us)\n  - [Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)\n  - [Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)\n  - [Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)\n  - [Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)\n  - [Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n- [World](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world)\n  - [Africa](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/africa)\n  - 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[Investigations](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/cnn-investigates)\n  - [CNN Profiles](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles)\n  - [CNN Leadership](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/cnn-leadership)\n  - [CNN Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n  - [Work for CNN](https:\/\/careers.wbd.com\/cnnjobs)\n***\n[US](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us)\n\n[Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/watch)   [Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)\n***\nSubscribe\n\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/09\/11\/us\/edward-snowden-fast-facts)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n\nFollow CNN\n***\nDownload the CNN app\n\nDownload the CNN app\n***\n[Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/terms)   [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/privacy)    [Ad Choices](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/ad-choices)   [Accessibility & CC](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/accessibility)   [About](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/about)   [Subscribe](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/subscription?source=sub_web_footerlink-link)   [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)   [Transcripts](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/transcripts)   [Help Center](https:\/\/help.cnn.com\/)\n\n© 2026 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved.   \n CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.\n\n## Download the CNN app\nScan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.\n\n![Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from Google Play.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/google-play-cnn-app-qr-code.png)\n\n## Download the CNN app\nScan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.\n\n![Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/app-store-cnn-app-qr-code.png)","attrs_readable_markdown":"CNN —\n\nHere is a look at the life of Edward Snowden, who admitted to leaking information about US surveillance programs to the press.\n\n**Birth date:** June 21, 1983\n\n**Birth place:** Elizabeth City, North Carolina\n\n**Birth name:** Edward Joseph Snowden\n\n**Father:** Lonnie Snowden, former Coast Guard officer\n\n**Mother:** Elizabeth Snowden, federal court administrator\n\n**Marriage:** Lindsay Mills (2017-present)\n\n**Children:** with Lindsay Mills: two children\n\nDropped out of high school.\n\nThe Guardian reported that in 2009, Snowden got the first of several jobs with private contractors that worked with the National Security Agency (NSA).\n\n**May 7, 2004 -** Enlists in the Army Reserve as a Special Forces candidate.\n\n**September 28, 2004 -** Is discharged from the Army Reserve without completing any training.\n\n**2013 -** Works for Booz Allen Hamilton for less than three months, assigned to a team in Hawaii. Snowden is terminated on June 10, 2013.\n\n**May 16, 2013 -** [Snowden has his first direct exchange with Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman.](http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/code-name-verax-snowden-in-exchanges-with-post-reporter-made-clear-he-knew-risks\/2013\/06\/09\/c9a25b54-d14c-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html)\n\n**May 20, 2013 -** Snowden leaves for Hong Kong.\n\n**May 24, 2013 -** In an email to Gellman, Snowden requests that the Post publish information about PRISM, a surveillance program that gathers information from [Facebook,](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2014\/02\/11\/world\/facebook-fast-facts\/index.html) Microsoft, [Google](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2014\/06\/30\/business\/google-fast-facts\/index.html) and others.\n\n**June 5, 2013 -** The [Guardian reports](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/06\/05\/politics\/nsa-verizon-records\/index.html) that the US government has obtained a secret court order that requires Verizon to turn over the telephone records of millions of Americans to the NSA.\n\n**June 6, 2013 -** The Guardian and the Washington Post disclose the existence of PRISM, a program they say allows the NSA to extract the details of customer activities – including “audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents” and other materials – from computers at Microsoft, Google, [Apple](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2014\/07\/01\/business\/apple-fast-facts\/index.html) and other Internet companies.\n\n**June 9, 2013 -** [The Guardian and Washington Post disclose Snowden as their source for the intelligence related leaks.](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/06\/09\/politics\/nsa-leak-identity\/index.html)\n\n**June 9, 2013 -** Booz Allen Hamilton releases a statement confirming that Snowden has been an employee of their firm for almost three months.\n\n**June 12, 2013 -** [The South China Morning Post publishes an interview with Snowden in which he says that US intelligence agents have been hacking networks around the world for years.](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/06\/12\/politics\/nsa-leak\/index.html)\n\n**June 17, 2013 -** During a live online chat, the person identified as Snowden by Britain’s Guardian newspaper insists that US authorities have access to phone calls, emails and other communications far beyond constitutional bounds.\n\n**June 18, 2013 -** Testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, [FBI Deputy Director Sean Joyce details how the PRISM program has helped stop several alleged terrorist attacks.](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/06\/18\/politics\/nsa-leaks\/index.html?on.cnn=1)\n\n**June 21, 2013 -** Federal prosecutors unseal a complaint filed in US District Court in Virginia on June 14, 2013, charging Snowden with espionage and theft of government property.\n\n**June 22, 2013 -** A senior US administration official says the United States has contacted authorities in Hong Kong to seek the extradition of Snowden.\n\n**June 23, 2013 -** Snowden flies to Moscow from Hong Kong. [Russian President Vladimir Putin](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/01\/03\/world\/europe\/vladimir-putin---fast-facts\/) later verifies that Snowden is in the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport.\n\n**June 23, 2013 -** A source tells CNN that the US government has revoked Snowden’s passport.\n\n**June 30, 2013 -** [German news magazine Der Spiegel reports that classified leaks by Snowden detail NSA bugging of European Union offices in Washington and New York, as well as an EU building in Brussels.](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/07\/01\/world\/europe\/eu-nsa\/)\n\n**July 12, 2013 -** [Snowden meets with human rights activists and lawyers](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/07\/12\/world\/europe\/russia-us-snowden). He says he is requesting asylum from Russia while he awaits safe passage to Latin America.\n\n**July 16, 2013 -** Snowden’s Russian attorney, Anatoly Kucherena, tells CNN that Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia. If his request is granted, he would be able to live in Russia for at least a year.\n\n**July 24, 2013 -** Russian news media reports that Russia has approved documents that would allow Snowden to enter the rest of the country while his temporary asylum request is considered.\n\n**August 1, 2013 -** Kucherena tells CNN that Snowden’s application for political asylum for a year has been approved and he has left the Moscow airport.\n\n**October 31, 2013 -** Kucherena tells CNN that his client has been hired by an unnamed Russian website.\n\n**November 3, 2013 -** A letter, purportedly written by Snowden, is published in the German magazine Der Spiegel. The letter, titled “A Manifesto for the Truth” says, “mass surveillance is a global problem and needs a global solution.”\n\n**December 17, 2013 -** Snowden posts an [open letter to Brazil](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/12\/17\/world\/americas\/snowden-nsa-brazil-letter\/), offering to help investigate US surveillance of Brazilian citizens.\n\n**January 23, 2014 -** [Attorney General Eric Holder](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/02\/21\/us\/eric-holder-fast-facts\/) says, “If Mr. Snowden wanted to come back to the United States and enter a plea, we would engage with his lawyers.” Snowden says in an online chat the same day that, “(a return to the US is) unfortunately not possible in the face of current whistle-blower protection laws.”\n\n**March 10, 2014 -** Snowden speaks via teleconference from Russia to an audience of thousands at the [South by Southwest](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/09\/13\/us\/south-by-southwest-fast-facts\/) Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, urging the audience to help “fix” the US government’s surveillance of its citizens. The event marks the first time Snowden has directly addressed people in the United States since he fled the country with thousands of secret documents last June.\n\n**May 28, 2014 -** NBC News airs an interview with Snowden in which he claims, “I was trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word – in that I lived and worked undercover, overseas, pretending to work in a job that I’m not – and even being assigned a name that was not mine.” In an interview with Wolf Blitzer, [NSA Adviser Susan Rice denies that Snowden was ever a US spy](http:\/\/transcripts.cnn.com\/TRANSCRIPTS\/1405\/28\/sitroom.01.html).\n\n**August 7, 2014 -** Snowden’s attorney announces that he has been granted an extension to stay in Russia for three more years.\n\n**February 23, 2015 -** NSA Director Adm. Michael Rogers says that [Snowden’s surveillance leaks have had a “material impact” on the agency’s ability to prevent and detect terror plots.](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/02\/23\/politics\/nsa-surveillance-north-korea\/)\n\n**June 4, 2015 -** In response to [US President Barack Obama](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2012\/12\/26\/us\/barack-obama---fast-facts\/index.html) signing the USA Freedom Act that will limit our nation’s surveillance on private citizens, Snowden writes an op-ed for The New York Times saying, “ending the mass surveillance of private phone calls under the Patriot Act is a historic victory for the rights of every citizen…”\n\n**July 28, 2015 -** The White House rejects a petition to pardon Snowden and maintains its position that Snowden should return to the United States. The petition contains over 167,000 signatures supporting Snowden.\n\n**September 29, 2015 -** [Snowden joins Twitter](https:\/\/twitter.com\/Snowden?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) and gains [over 110,000 followers in less than an hour](http:\/\/money.cnn.com\/2015\/09\/29\/media\/edward-snowden-twitter\/) after posting his first tweet.\n\n**October 5, 2015 -** According to Snowden, he is [willing to go to prison](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/10\/06\/politics\/edward-snowden-prison-offer) if he is permitted to return to the United States. Snowden and his lawyers wait to discuss a deal with the US government.\n\n**May 30, 2016 -** Holder says Snowden [performed a “public service” by triggering a debate over surveillance techniques,](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2016\/05\/30\/politics\/axe-files-axelrod-eric-holder\/) but still must pay a penalty for illegally leaking a trove of classified intelligence documents.\n\n**September 16, 2016 -** The film “[Snowden](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2016\/09\/14\/entertainment\/snowden-review\/index.html),” directed by Oliver Stone, opens in US theaters.\n\n**December 22, 2016 -** Congress releases a report saying [Snowden has been in contact with Russian intelligence officials](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2016\/12\/22\/politics\/edward-snowden-russia-intelligence\/index.html) since arriving in Russia. Snowden immediately takes to Twitter following the report’s release to dispute the accusations, writing “they claim without evidence that I’m in cahoots with the Russians.”\n\n**January 17, 2017 -** [Russia extends Snowden’s asylum until 2020.](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/01\/18\/europe\/russia-snowden-asylum-extension\/)\n\n**September 17, 2019 -** Snowden’s memoir, [“Permanent Record,”](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/08\/01\/politics\/edward-snowden-memoir-permanent-record-trnd\/index.html) is published.\n\n**September 17, 2019 -** [The US Justice Department sues Snowden for allegedly breaking contracts he signed with the CIA and NSA from 2005 to 2013.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/09\/17\/politics\/justice-department-sues-edward-snowden\/index.html) The lawsuit claims Snowden should have submitted any of his writings for agency review before publication if they included intelligence information and that he needed written approval from the agencies before he could publish.\n\n**April 16, 2020 -** Kucherena tells Russia’s TASS news agency that Snowden has [filed a request to extend his residency permit in Russia for three more years](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/04\/16\/europe\/edward-snowden-russian-residency-intl\/index.html).\n\n**September 18, 2020 -** According to court records, [Snowden agrees to forfeit to the US government more than \\$5 million](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/09\/21\/politics\/edward-snowden-money-books\/index.html) he earned from his book and speaking fees. In the agreement, Snowden says he still wants the ability to appeal the judge’s earlier decision against him.\n\n**October 22, 2020 -** [Snowden has been given permanent residency in Russia](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/10\/22\/europe\/edward-snowden-russia-residency-intl\/index.html), his lawyer tells state-run news agency RIA Novosti.\n\n**November 2, 2020 -** Snowden announces that he and his wife [are applying for Russian citizenship while also keeping their US nationalities.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/11\/02\/europe\/edward-snowden-russian-citizenship-intl\/index.html)\n\n**September 26, 2022 -** [Putin grants Snowden Russian citizenship,](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/europe\/live-news\/russia-ukraine-war-news-09-26-22\/h_99a0ae1656a28606d71af9a1afda587a) according to an official decree published on the Russian government portal.\n\n**December 2, 2022 -** Russian news agency TASS reports that Snowden has received a Russian passport. Kucherena confirms Snowden has taken an oath of allegiance to Russia.","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	CNN — Here is a look at the life of Edward Snowden, who admitted to leaking information about US surveillance programs to the press. Birth date: June 21, 1983 Birth place: Elizabeth City, North Carolina Birth name: Edward Joseph Snowden Father: Lonnie Snowden, former Coast Guard officer Mother: Elizabeth Snowden, federal court administrator Marriage: Lindsay Mills (2017-present) Children: with Lindsay Mills: two children Dropped out of high school. The Guardian reported that in 2009, Snowden got the first of several jobs with private contractors that worked with the National Security Agency (NSA). May 7, 2004 - Enlists in the Army Reserve as a Special Forces candidate. September 28, 2004 - Is discharged from the Army Reserve without completing any training. 2013 - Works for Booz Allen Hamilton for less than three months, assigned to a team in Hawaii. Snowden is terminated on June 10, 2013. May 16, 2013 - Snowden has his first direct exchange with Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman. May 20, 2013 - Snowden leaves for Hong Kong. May 24, 2013 - In an email to Gellman, Snowden requests that the Post publish information about PRISM, a surveillance program that gathers information from Facebook, Microsoft, Google and others. June 5, 2013 - The Guardian reports that the US government has obtained a secret court order that requires Verizon to turn over the telephone records of millions of Americans to the NSA. June 6, 2013 - The Guardian and the Washington Post disclose the existence of PRISM, a program they say allows the NSA to extract the details of customer activities – including “audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents” and other materials – from computers at Microsoft, Google, Apple and other Internet companies. June 9, 2013 - The Guardian and Washington Post disclose Snowden as their source for the intelligence related leaks. June 9, 2013 - Booz Allen Hamilton releases a statement confirming that Snowden has been an employee of their firm for almost three months. June 12, 2013 - The South China Morning Post publishes an interview with Snowden in which he says that US intelligence agents have been hacking networks around the world for years. June 17, 2013 - During a live online chat, the person identified as Snowden by Britain’s Guardian newspaper insists that US authorities have access to phone calls, emails and other communications far beyond constitutional bounds. June 18, 2013 - Testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, FBI Deputy Director Sean Joyce details how the PRISM program has helped stop several alleged terrorist attacks. June 21, 2013 - Federal prosecutors unseal a complaint filed in US District Court in Virginia on June 14, 2013, charging Snowden with espionage and theft of government property. June 22, 2013 - A senior US administration official says the United States has contacted authorities in Hong Kong to seek the extradition of Snowden. June 23, 2013 - Snowden flies to Moscow from Hong Kong. Russian President Vladimir Putin later verifies that Snowden is in the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport. June 23, 2013 - A source tells CNN that the US government has revoked Snowden’s passport. June 30, 2013 - German news magazine Der Spiegel reports that classified leaks by Snowden detail NSA bugging of European Union offices in Washington and New York, as well as an EU building in Brussels. July 12, 2013 - Snowden meets with human rights activists and lawyers . He says he is requesting asylum from Russia while he awaits safe passage to Latin America. July 16, 2013 - Snowden’s Russian attorney, Anatoly Kucherena, tells CNN that Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia. If his request is granted, he would be able to live in Russia for at least a year. July 24, 2013 - Russian news media reports that Russia has approved documents that would allow Snowden to enter the rest of the country while his temporary asylum request is considered. August 1, 2013 - Kucherena tells CNN that Snowden’s application for political asylum for a year has been approved and he has left the Moscow airport. October 31, 2013 - Kucherena tells CNN that his client has been hired by an unnamed Russian website. November 3, 2013 - A letter, purportedly written by Snowden, is published in the German magazine Der Spiegel. The letter, titled “A Manifesto for the Truth” says, “mass surveillance is a global problem and needs a global solution.” December 17, 2013 - Snowden posts an open letter to Brazil , offering to help investigate US surveillance of Brazilian citizens. January 23, 2014 - Attorney General Eric Holder says, “If Mr. Snowden wanted to come back to the United States and enter a plea, we would engage with his lawyers.” Snowden says in an online chat the same day that, “(a return to the US is) unfortunately not possible in the face of current whistle-blower protection laws.” March 10, 2014 - Snowden speaks via teleconference from Russia to an audience of thousands at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, urging the audience to help “fix” the US government’s surveillance of its citizens. The event marks the first time Snowden has directly addressed people in the United States since he fled the country with thousands of secret documents last June. May 28, 2014 - NBC News airs an interview with Snowden in which he claims, “I was trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word – in that I lived and worked undercover, overseas, pretending to work in a job that I’m not – and even being assigned a name that was not mine.” In an interview with Wolf Blitzer, NSA Adviser Susan Rice denies that Snowden was ever a US spy . August 7, 2014 - Snowden’s attorney announces that he has been granted an extension to stay in Russia for three more years. February 23, 2015 - NSA Director Adm. Michael Rogers says that Snowden’s surveillance leaks have had a “material impact” on the agency’s ability to prevent and detect terror plots. June 4, 2015 - In response to US President Barack Obama signing the USA Freedom Act that will limit our nation’s surveillance on private citizens, Snowden writes an op-ed for The New York Times saying, “ending the mass surveillance of private phone calls under the Patriot Act is a historic victory for the rights of every citizen…” July 28, 2015 - The White House rejects a petition to pardon Snowden and maintains its position that Snowden should return to the United States. The petition contains over 167,000 signatures supporting Snowden. September 29, 2015 - Snowden joins Twitter and gains over 110,000 followers in less than an hour after posting his first tweet. October 5, 2015 - According to Snowden, he is willing to go to prison if he is permitted to return to the United States. Snowden and his lawyers wait to discuss a deal with the US government. May 30, 2016 - Holder says Snowden performed a “public service” by triggering a debate over surveillance techniques, but still must pay a penalty for illegally leaking a trove of classified intelligence documents. September 16, 2016 - The film “ Snowden ,” directed by Oliver Stone, opens in US theaters. December 22, 2016 - Congress releases a report saying Snowden has been in contact with Russian intelligence officials since arriving in Russia. Snowden immediately takes to Twitter following the report’s release to dispute the accusations, writing “they claim without evidence that I’m in cahoots with the Russians.” January 17, 2017 - Russia extends Snowden’s asylum until 2020. September 17, 2019 - Snowden’s memoir, “Permanent Record,” is published. September 17, 2019 - The US Justice Department sues Snowden for allegedly breaking contracts he signed with the CIA and NSA from 2005 to 2013. The lawsuit claims Snowden should have submitted any of his writings for agency review before publication if they included intelligence information and that he needed written approval from the agencies before he could publish. April 16, 2020 - Kucherena tells Russia’s TASS news agency that Snowden has filed a request to extend his residency permit in Russia for three more years . September 18, 2020 - According to court records, Snowden agrees to forfeit to the US government more than $5 million he earned from his book and speaking fees. In the agreement, Snowden says he still wants the ability to appeal the judge’s earlier decision against him. October 22, 2020 - Snowden has been given permanent residency in Russia , his lawyer tells state-run news agency RIA Novosti. November 2, 2020 - Snowden announces that he and his wife are applying for Russian citizenship while also keeping their US nationalities. September 26, 2022 - Putin grants Snowden Russian citizenship, according to an official decree published on the Russian government portal. December 2, 2022 - Russian news agency TASS reports that Snowden has received a Russian passport. Kucherena confirms Snowden has taken an oath of allegiance to Russia.
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Stroebele returned from the meeting with a letter from Snowden to German authorities, which was distributed to the media. In it, Snowden said he is confident that with international support, the United States would abandon its efforts to "treat dissent as defection" and "criminalize political speech with felony charges."](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/131031193835-snowden-stroebele.jpg?q=w_2000,h_1125,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden poses with German Green party parliamentarian Hans-Christian Stroebele in Moscow on October 31. Stroebele returned from the meeting with a letter from Snowden to German authorities, which was distributed to the media. In it, Snowden said he is confident that with international support, the United States would abandon its efforts to "treat dissent as defection" and "criminalize political speech with felony charges." HANS-CHRISTIAN STROEBELE'S OFFICE/AFP/Getty images. ![Snowden's refugee document granted by Russia is seen during a news conference in Moscow on August 1. Snowden slipped quietly out of the airport \<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/01/us/nsa-snowden/index.html?hpt=hp\_t2"\>after securing temporary asylum in Russia\</a\>, ending more than a month in limbo.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130801190721-02-snowden.jpg?q=w_2200,h_1745,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — Snowden's refugee document granted by Russia is seen during a news conference in Moscow on August 1. Snowden slipped quietly out of the airport [after securing temporary asylum in Russia](http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/01/us/nsa-snowden/index.html?hpt=hp_t2), ending more than a month in limbo. MAXIM SHEMETOV/REUTERS/LANDOV ![Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, leaves a last-minute news conference at the U.S. Capitol after Russia announced that it would grant Snowden temporary asylum on August 1. "Russia has stabbed us in the back, and each day that Mr. Snowden is allowed to roam free is another twist of the knife," he said.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130801195227-15-snowden.jpg?q=w_3000,h_2000,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, leaves a last-minute news conference at the U.S. Capitol after Russia announced that it would grant Snowden temporary asylum on August 1. "Russia has stabbed us in the back, and each day that Mr. Snowden is allowed to roam free is another twist of the knife," he said. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images ![Snowden's father, Lon Snowden, who has adamantly supported his son, talks to reporters in Washington on Tuesday, July 30. He has urged his son to remain in Russia "until we have assurances that he would receive a fair trial."](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130801205923-16-snowden.jpg?q=w_3157,h_2234,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — Snowden's father, Lon Snowden, who has adamantly supported his son, talks to reporters in Washington on Tuesday, July 30. He has urged his son to remain in Russia "until we have assurances that he would receive a fair trial." Linda Davidson/The Washington Post via Getty Images ![Demonstrators in Berlin hold a protest march on Saturday, July 27, in support of Snowden and WikiLeaks document provider Bradley Manning. \<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/01/us/snowden-manning/index.html"\>Both men have been portrayed as traitors\</a\> and whistle-blowers. Manning was acquitted on July 30 on the most serious charge of aiding the enemy, but he was convicted on several other counts and likely faces a lengthy term in a military prison.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130801190830-03-snowden.jpg?q=w_3000,h_2000,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — Demonstrators in Berlin hold a protest march on Saturday, July 27, in support of Snowden and WikiLeaks document provider Bradley Manning. [Both men have been portrayed as traitors](http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/01/us/snowden-manning/index.html) and whistle-blowers. Manning was acquitted on July 30 on the most serious charge of aiding the enemy, but he was convicted on several other counts and likely faces a lengthy term in a military prison. Sean Gallup/Getty Images ![Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, center, speaks with journalists at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow after meeting with Snowden on Wednesday, July 24. Kucherena said he was in daily contact with Russian authorities about securing permission for Snowden to leave the airport.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130801190907-04-snowden.jpg?q=w_4928,h_3280,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, center, speaks with journalists at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow after meeting with Snowden on Wednesday, July 24. Kucherena said he was in daily contact with Russian authorities about securing permission for Snowden to leave the airport. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images ![Snowden meets with human rights activists and lawyers on July 12 in a transit zone of the Russian airport. It was his first public appearance since he left Hong Kong on June 23. He announced that he was seeking refuge Russia while awaiting safe passage to Latin America, where he has been offered asylum.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130801192958-06-snowden.jpg?q=w_980,h_735,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — Snowden meets with human rights activists and lawyers on July 12 in a transit zone of the Russian airport. It was his first public appearance since he left Hong Kong on June 23. He announced that he was seeking refuge Russia while awaiting safe passage to Latin America, where he has been offered asylum. Tanya Lokshina/HRW ![Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting in Prokhorovka on July 12. Russian officials said Snowden abandoned his effort to seek asylum in the country after Putin warned that he would have to stop leaking information about U.S. surveillance programs if he wanted to stay.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130801194053-08-snowden.jpg?q=w_3352,h_2407,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting in Prokhorovka on July 12. Russian officials said Snowden abandoned his effort to seek asylum in the country after Putin warned that he would have to stop leaking information about U.S. surveillance programs if he wanted to stay. ALEXEI NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images ![A woman burns American flags during a protest in support of Bolivian President Evo Morales in front of the U.S. embassy in Mexico City on July 4. Leftist Latin American leaders and activists were fuming after some European nations temporarily refused Morales' plane access to their airspace amid suspicions Snowden was aboard.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130801194146-09-snowden.jpg?q=w_3597,h_2615,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — A woman burns American flags during a protest in support of Bolivian President Evo Morales in front of the U.S. embassy in Mexico City on July 4. Leftist Latin American leaders and activists were fuming after some European nations temporarily refused Morales' plane access to their airspace amid suspicions Snowden was aboard. Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images ![Bolivian President Evo Morales holds a news conference at the Vienna International Airport on July 3. He angrily denied any wrongdoing after his plane was diverted to Vienna and said that Bolivia is willing to give \<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/06/world/snowden-asylum-options/index.html"\>asylum to Snowden\</a\>, as "fair protest" after four European countries restricted his plane from flying back from Moscow to La Paz.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130801194259-10-snowden.jpg?q=w_5022,h_3242,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — Bolivian President Evo Morales holds a news conference at the Vienna International Airport on July 3. He angrily denied any wrongdoing after his plane was diverted to Vienna and said that Bolivia is willing to give [asylum to Snowden](http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/06/world/snowden-asylum-options/index.html), as "fair protest" after four European countries restricted his plane from flying back from Moscow to La Paz. PATRICK DOMINGO/AFP/Getty Images ![Umbrellas with slogans are lined up before a protest march to the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong on June 15. Snowden was hiding in Hong Kong, where he arrived on May 20 before blowing the lid off the NSA surveillance operation.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130801194434-11-snowden.jpg?q=w_4256,h_2840,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — Umbrellas with slogans are lined up before a protest march to the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong on June 15. Snowden was hiding in Hong Kong, where he arrived on May 20 before blowing the lid off the NSA surveillance operation. PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images ![Protesters in Hong Kong shout slogans in support of Snowden on June 13. The NSA leaker vowed to fight any bid to extradite him from Hong Kong.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130801194519-12-snowden.jpg?q=w_4256,h_2840,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — Protesters in Hong Kong shout slogans in support of Snowden on June 13. The NSA leaker vowed to fight any bid to extradite him from Hong Kong. PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images ![Graffiti sympathetic to Snowden is stenciled on the sidewalk in San Francisco on June 11.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130801194555-13-snowden.jpg?q=w_3000,h_2001,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — Graffiti sympathetic to Snowden is stenciled on the sidewalk in San Francisco on June 11. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images ![An American flag flutters in front of the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong on June 10. ](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130801194628-14-snowden.jpg?q=w_4256,h_2840,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — An American flag flutters in front of the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong on June 10. PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images ![Snowden outs himself on June 9 in the British newspaper The Guardian, which published details of his revelations about the NSA electronic surveillance programs. "I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong," he said in a video interview.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130801185914-01-snowden.jpg?q=w_2400,h_1313,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447) NSA leaker Edward Snowden — Snowden outs himself on June 9 in the British newspaper The Guardian, which published details of his revelations about the NSA electronic surveillance programs. "I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong," he said in a video interview. The Guardian via Getty Images ##### Photos: NSA leaker Edward Snowden Prev Next CNN — Here is a look at the life of Edward Snowden, who admitted to leaking information about US surveillance programs to the press. ## Personal Birth date: June 21, 1983 Birth place: Elizabeth City, North Carolina Birth name: Edward Joseph Snowden Father: Lonnie Snowden, former Coast Guard officer Mother: Elizabeth Snowden, federal court administrator Marriage: Lindsay Mills (2017-present) Children: with Lindsay Mills: two children ## Other Facts Dropped out of high school. The Guardian reported that in 2009, Snowden got the first of several jobs with private contractors that worked with the National Security Agency (NSA). ## Timeline May 7, 2004 - Enlists in the Army Reserve as a Special Forces candidate. September 28, 2004 - Is discharged from the Army Reserve without completing any training. 2013 - Works for Booz Allen Hamilton for less than three months, assigned to a team in Hawaii. Snowden is terminated on June 10, 2013. May 16, 2013 - [Snowden has his first direct exchange with Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/code-name-verax-snowden-in-exchanges-with-post-reporter-made-clear-he-knew-risks/2013/06/09/c9a25b54-d14c-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html) May 20, 2013 - Snowden leaves for Hong Kong. May 24, 2013 - In an email to Gellman, Snowden requests that the Post publish information about PRISM, a surveillance program that gathers information from [Facebook,](http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/11/world/facebook-fast-facts/index.html) Microsoft, [Google](http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/30/business/google-fast-facts/index.html) and others. June 5, 2013 - The [Guardian reports](http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/05/politics/nsa-verizon-records/index.html) that the US government has obtained a secret court order that requires Verizon to turn over the telephone records of millions of Americans to the NSA. June 6, 2013 - The Guardian and the Washington Post disclose the existence of PRISM, a program they say allows the NSA to extract the details of customer activities – including “audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents” and other materials – from computers at Microsoft, Google, [Apple](http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/01/business/apple-fast-facts/index.html) and other Internet companies. June 9, 2013 - [The Guardian and Washington Post disclose Snowden as their source for the intelligence related leaks.](http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/09/politics/nsa-leak-identity/index.html) June 9, 2013 - Booz Allen Hamilton releases a statement confirming that Snowden has been an employee of their firm for almost three months. June 12, 2013 - [The South China Morning Post publishes an interview with Snowden in which he says that US intelligence agents have been hacking networks around the world for years.](http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/12/politics/nsa-leak/index.html) June 17, 2013 - During a live online chat, the person identified as Snowden by Britain’s Guardian newspaper insists that US authorities have access to phone calls, emails and other communications far beyond constitutional bounds. June 18, 2013 - Testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, [FBI Deputy Director Sean Joyce details how the PRISM program has helped stop several alleged terrorist attacks.](http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/18/politics/nsa-leaks/index.html?on.cnn=1) June 21, 2013 - Federal prosecutors unseal a complaint filed in US District Court in Virginia on June 14, 2013, charging Snowden with espionage and theft of government property. June 22, 2013 - A senior US administration official says the United States has contacted authorities in Hong Kong to seek the extradition of Snowden. June 23, 2013 - Snowden flies to Moscow from Hong Kong. [Russian President Vladimir Putin](http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/03/world/europe/vladimir-putin---fast-facts/) later verifies that Snowden is in the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport. June 23, 2013 - A source tells CNN that the US government has revoked Snowden’s passport. June 30, 2013 - [German news magazine Der Spiegel reports that classified leaks by Snowden detail NSA bugging of European Union offices in Washington and New York, as well as an EU building in Brussels.](http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/01/world/europe/eu-nsa/) July 12, 2013 - [Snowden meets with human rights activists and lawyers](https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/12/world/europe/russia-us-snowden). He says he is requesting asylum from Russia while he awaits safe passage to Latin America. July 16, 2013 - Snowden’s Russian attorney, Anatoly Kucherena, tells CNN that Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia. If his request is granted, he would be able to live in Russia for at least a year. July 24, 2013 - Russian news media reports that Russia has approved documents that would allow Snowden to enter the rest of the country while his temporary asylum request is considered. August 1, 2013 - Kucherena tells CNN that Snowden’s application for political asylum for a year has been approved and he has left the Moscow airport. October 31, 2013 - Kucherena tells CNN that his client has been hired by an unnamed Russian website. November 3, 2013 - A letter, purportedly written by Snowden, is published in the German magazine Der Spiegel. The letter, titled “A Manifesto for the Truth” says, “mass surveillance is a global problem and needs a global solution.” December 17, 2013 - Snowden posts an [open letter to Brazil](http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/17/world/americas/snowden-nsa-brazil-letter/), offering to help investigate US surveillance of Brazilian citizens. January 23, 2014 - [Attorney General Eric Holder](http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/21/us/eric-holder-fast-facts/) says, “If Mr. Snowden wanted to come back to the United States and enter a plea, we would engage with his lawyers.” Snowden says in an online chat the same day that, “(a return to the US is) unfortunately not possible in the face of current whistle-blower protection laws.” March 10, 2014 - Snowden speaks via teleconference from Russia to an audience of thousands at the [South by Southwest](http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/13/us/south-by-southwest-fast-facts/) Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, urging the audience to help “fix” the US government’s surveillance of its citizens. The event marks the first time Snowden has directly addressed people in the United States since he fled the country with thousands of secret documents last June. May 28, 2014 - NBC News airs an interview with Snowden in which he claims, “I was trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word – in that I lived and worked undercover, overseas, pretending to work in a job that I’m not – and even being assigned a name that was not mine.” In an interview with Wolf Blitzer, [NSA Adviser Susan Rice denies that Snowden was ever a US spy](http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1405/28/sitroom.01.html). August 7, 2014 - Snowden’s attorney announces that he has been granted an extension to stay in Russia for three more years. February 23, 2015 - NSA Director Adm. Michael Rogers says that [Snowden’s surveillance leaks have had a “material impact” on the agency’s ability to prevent and detect terror plots.](http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/23/politics/nsa-surveillance-north-korea/) June 4, 2015 - In response to [US President Barack Obama](https://www.cnn.com/2012/12/26/us/barack-obama---fast-facts/index.html) signing the USA Freedom Act that will limit our nation’s surveillance on private citizens, Snowden writes an op-ed for The New York Times saying, “ending the mass surveillance of private phone calls under the Patriot Act is a historic victory for the rights of every citizen…” July 28, 2015 - The White House rejects a petition to pardon Snowden and maintains its position that Snowden should return to the United States. The petition contains over 167,000 signatures supporting Snowden. September 29, 2015 - [Snowden joins Twitter](https://twitter.com/Snowden?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) and gains [over 110,000 followers in less than an hour](http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/29/media/edward-snowden-twitter/) after posting his first tweet. October 5, 2015 - According to Snowden, he is [willing to go to prison](http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/06/politics/edward-snowden-prison-offer) if he is permitted to return to the United States. Snowden and his lawyers wait to discuss a deal with the US government. May 30, 2016 - Holder says Snowden [performed a “public service” by triggering a debate over surveillance techniques,](http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/30/politics/axe-files-axelrod-eric-holder/) but still must pay a penalty for illegally leaking a trove of classified intelligence documents. September 16, 2016 - The film “[Snowden](http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/14/entertainment/snowden-review/index.html),” directed by Oliver Stone, opens in US theaters. December 22, 2016 - Congress releases a report saying [Snowden has been in contact with Russian intelligence officials](http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/22/politics/edward-snowden-russia-intelligence/index.html) since arriving in Russia. Snowden immediately takes to Twitter following the report’s release to dispute the accusations, writing “they claim without evidence that I’m in cahoots with the Russians.” January 17, 2017 - [Russia extends Snowden’s asylum until 2020.](http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/18/europe/russia-snowden-asylum-extension/) September 17, 2019 - Snowden’s memoir, [“Permanent Record,”](https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/01/politics/edward-snowden-memoir-permanent-record-trnd/index.html) is published. September 17, 2019 - [The US Justice Department sues Snowden for allegedly breaking contracts he signed with the CIA and NSA from 2005 to 2013.](https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/17/politics/justice-department-sues-edward-snowden/index.html) The lawsuit claims Snowden should have submitted any of his writings for agency review before publication if they included intelligence information and that he needed written approval from the agencies before he could publish. April 16, 2020 - Kucherena tells Russia’s TASS news agency that Snowden has [filed a request to extend his residency permit in Russia for three more years](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/16/europe/edward-snowden-russian-residency-intl/index.html). September 18, 2020 - According to court records, [Snowden agrees to forfeit to the US government more than \$5 million](https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/21/politics/edward-snowden-money-books/index.html) he earned from his book and speaking fees. In the agreement, Snowden says he still wants the ability to appeal the judge’s earlier decision against him. October 22, 2020 - [Snowden has been given permanent residency in Russia](https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/22/europe/edward-snowden-russia-residency-intl/index.html), his lawyer tells state-run news agency RIA Novosti. November 2, 2020 - Snowden announces that he and his wife [are applying for Russian citizenship while also keeping their US nationalities.](https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/02/europe/edward-snowden-russian-citizenship-intl/index.html) September 26, 2022 - [Putin grants Snowden Russian citizenship,](https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-09-26-22/h_99a0ae1656a28606d71af9a1afda587a) according to an official decree published on the Russian government portal. December 2, 2022 - Russian news agency TASS reports that Snowden has received a Russian passport. Kucherena confirms Snowden has taken an oath of allegiance to Russia. 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Readable Markdown	CNN — Here is a look at the life of Edward Snowden, who admitted to leaking information about US surveillance programs to the press. Birth date: June 21, 1983 Birth place: Elizabeth City, North Carolina Birth name: Edward Joseph Snowden Father: Lonnie Snowden, former Coast Guard officer Mother: Elizabeth Snowden, federal court administrator Marriage: Lindsay Mills (2017-present) Children: with Lindsay Mills: two children Dropped out of high school. The Guardian reported that in 2009, Snowden got the first of several jobs with private contractors that worked with the National Security Agency (NSA). May 7, 2004 - Enlists in the Army Reserve as a Special Forces candidate. September 28, 2004 - Is discharged from the Army Reserve without completing any training. 2013 - Works for Booz Allen Hamilton for less than three months, assigned to a team in Hawaii. Snowden is terminated on June 10, 2013. May 16, 2013 - [Snowden has his first direct exchange with Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/code-name-verax-snowden-in-exchanges-with-post-reporter-made-clear-he-knew-risks/2013/06/09/c9a25b54-d14c-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html) May 20, 2013 - Snowden leaves for Hong Kong. May 24, 2013 - In an email to Gellman, Snowden requests that the Post publish information about PRISM, a surveillance program that gathers information from [Facebook,](http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/11/world/facebook-fast-facts/index.html) Microsoft, [Google](http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/30/business/google-fast-facts/index.html) and others. June 5, 2013 - The [Guardian reports](http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/05/politics/nsa-verizon-records/index.html) that the US government has obtained a secret court order that requires Verizon to turn over the telephone records of millions of Americans to the NSA. June 6, 2013 - The Guardian and the Washington Post disclose the existence of PRISM, a program they say allows the NSA to extract the details of customer activities – including “audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents” and other materials – from computers at Microsoft, Google, [Apple](http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/01/business/apple-fast-facts/index.html) and other Internet companies. June 9, 2013 - [The Guardian and Washington Post disclose Snowden as their source for the intelligence related leaks.](http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/09/politics/nsa-leak-identity/index.html) June 9, 2013 - Booz Allen Hamilton releases a statement confirming that Snowden has been an employee of their firm for almost three months. June 12, 2013 - [The South China Morning Post publishes an interview with Snowden in which he says that US intelligence agents have been hacking networks around the world for years.](http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/12/politics/nsa-leak/index.html) June 17, 2013 - During a live online chat, the person identified as Snowden by Britain’s Guardian newspaper insists that US authorities have access to phone calls, emails and other communications far beyond constitutional bounds. June 18, 2013 - Testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, [FBI Deputy Director Sean Joyce details how the PRISM program has helped stop several alleged terrorist attacks.](http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/18/politics/nsa-leaks/index.html?on.cnn=1) June 21, 2013 - Federal prosecutors unseal a complaint filed in US District Court in Virginia on June 14, 2013, charging Snowden with espionage and theft of government property. June 22, 2013 - A senior US administration official says the United States has contacted authorities in Hong Kong to seek the extradition of Snowden. June 23, 2013 - Snowden flies to Moscow from Hong Kong. [Russian President Vladimir Putin](http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/03/world/europe/vladimir-putin---fast-facts/) later verifies that Snowden is in the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport. June 23, 2013 - A source tells CNN that the US government has revoked Snowden’s passport. June 30, 2013 - [German news magazine Der Spiegel reports that classified leaks by Snowden detail NSA bugging of European Union offices in Washington and New York, as well as an EU building in Brussels.](http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/01/world/europe/eu-nsa/) July 12, 2013 - [Snowden meets with human rights activists and lawyers](https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/12/world/europe/russia-us-snowden). He says he is requesting asylum from Russia while he awaits safe passage to Latin America. July 16, 2013 - Snowden’s Russian attorney, Anatoly Kucherena, tells CNN that Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia. If his request is granted, he would be able to live in Russia for at least a year. July 24, 2013 - Russian news media reports that Russia has approved documents that would allow Snowden to enter the rest of the country while his temporary asylum request is considered. August 1, 2013 - Kucherena tells CNN that Snowden’s application for political asylum for a year has been approved and he has left the Moscow airport. October 31, 2013 - Kucherena tells CNN that his client has been hired by an unnamed Russian website. November 3, 2013 - A letter, purportedly written by Snowden, is published in the German magazine Der Spiegel. The letter, titled “A Manifesto for the Truth” says, “mass surveillance is a global problem and needs a global solution.” December 17, 2013 - Snowden posts an [open letter to Brazil](http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/17/world/americas/snowden-nsa-brazil-letter/), offering to help investigate US surveillance of Brazilian citizens. January 23, 2014 - [Attorney General Eric Holder](http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/21/us/eric-holder-fast-facts/) says, “If Mr. Snowden wanted to come back to the United States and enter a plea, we would engage with his lawyers.” Snowden says in an online chat the same day that, “(a return to the US is) unfortunately not possible in the face of current whistle-blower protection laws.” March 10, 2014 - Snowden speaks via teleconference from Russia to an audience of thousands at the [South by Southwest](http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/13/us/south-by-southwest-fast-facts/) Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, urging the audience to help “fix” the US government’s surveillance of its citizens. The event marks the first time Snowden has directly addressed people in the United States since he fled the country with thousands of secret documents last June. May 28, 2014 - NBC News airs an interview with Snowden in which he claims, “I was trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word – in that I lived and worked undercover, overseas, pretending to work in a job that I’m not – and even being assigned a name that was not mine.” In an interview with Wolf Blitzer, [NSA Adviser Susan Rice denies that Snowden was ever a US spy](http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1405/28/sitroom.01.html). August 7, 2014 - Snowden’s attorney announces that he has been granted an extension to stay in Russia for three more years. February 23, 2015 - NSA Director Adm. Michael Rogers says that [Snowden’s surveillance leaks have had a “material impact” on the agency’s ability to prevent and detect terror plots.](http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/23/politics/nsa-surveillance-north-korea/) June 4, 2015 - In response to [US President Barack Obama](https://www.cnn.com/2012/12/26/us/barack-obama---fast-facts/index.html) signing the USA Freedom Act that will limit our nation’s surveillance on private citizens, Snowden writes an op-ed for The New York Times saying, “ending the mass surveillance of private phone calls under the Patriot Act is a historic victory for the rights of every citizen…” July 28, 2015 - The White House rejects a petition to pardon Snowden and maintains its position that Snowden should return to the United States. The petition contains over 167,000 signatures supporting Snowden. September 29, 2015 - [Snowden joins Twitter](https://twitter.com/Snowden?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) and gains [over 110,000 followers in less than an hour](http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/29/media/edward-snowden-twitter/) after posting his first tweet. October 5, 2015 - According to Snowden, he is [willing to go to prison](http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/06/politics/edward-snowden-prison-offer) if he is permitted to return to the United States. Snowden and his lawyers wait to discuss a deal with the US government. May 30, 2016 - Holder says Snowden [performed a “public service” by triggering a debate over surveillance techniques,](http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/30/politics/axe-files-axelrod-eric-holder/) but still must pay a penalty for illegally leaking a trove of classified intelligence documents. September 16, 2016 - The film “[Snowden](http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/14/entertainment/snowden-review/index.html),” directed by Oliver Stone, opens in US theaters. December 22, 2016 - Congress releases a report saying [Snowden has been in contact with Russian intelligence officials](http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/22/politics/edward-snowden-russia-intelligence/index.html) since arriving in Russia. Snowden immediately takes to Twitter following the report’s release to dispute the accusations, writing “they claim without evidence that I’m in cahoots with the Russians.” January 17, 2017 - [Russia extends Snowden’s asylum until 2020.](http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/18/europe/russia-snowden-asylum-extension/) September 17, 2019 - Snowden’s memoir, [“Permanent Record,”](https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/01/politics/edward-snowden-memoir-permanent-record-trnd/index.html) is published. September 17, 2019 - [The US Justice Department sues Snowden for allegedly breaking contracts he signed with the CIA and NSA from 2005 to 2013.](https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/17/politics/justice-department-sues-edward-snowden/index.html) The lawsuit claims Snowden should have submitted any of his writings for agency review before publication if they included intelligence information and that he needed written approval from the agencies before he could publish. April 16, 2020 - Kucherena tells Russia’s TASS news agency that Snowden has [filed a request to extend his residency permit in Russia for three more years](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/16/europe/edward-snowden-russian-residency-intl/index.html). September 18, 2020 - According to court records, [Snowden agrees to forfeit to the US government more than \$5 million](https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/21/politics/edward-snowden-money-books/index.html) he earned from his book and speaking fees. In the agreement, Snowden says he still wants the ability to appeal the judge’s earlier decision against him. October 22, 2020 - [Snowden has been given permanent residency in Russia](https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/22/europe/edward-snowden-russia-residency-intl/index.html), his lawyer tells state-run news agency RIA Novosti. November 2, 2020 - Snowden announces that he and his wife [are applying for Russian citizenship while also keeping their US nationalities.](https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/02/europe/edward-snowden-russian-citizenship-intl/index.html) September 26, 2022 - [Putin grants Snowden Russian citizenship,](https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-09-26-22/h_99a0ae1656a28606d71af9a1afda587a) according to an official decree published on the Russian government portal. December 2, 2022 - Russian news agency TASS reports that Snowden has received a Russian passport. Kucherena confirms Snowden has taken an oath of allegiance to Russia.
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