Edward Snowden is a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who became a whistleblower in 2013 when he leaked classified information from the agency. He revealed details of the NSA’s mass surveillance programs and exposed the government’s illegal spying on its own citizens.

Snowden’s actions sparked a national debate about privacy, government surveillance, and the balance between security and civil liberties. He is currently living in exile in Russia, where he has been granted asylum.