In 2013, Edward Snowden, a National Security Agency (NSA) intelligence subcontractor, leaked classified documents revealing the existence of top-secret surveillance programs. As one of the most notorious whistleblowers of recent times, Snowden was behind the biggest security breach in the agency's history. His disclosures revealed numerous global spying tactics, many carried out by the NSA and the UK's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). In the wake of the sensational revelations, Snowden fled to Moscow. He became a naturalized Russian citizen in 2022.
Edward Snowden's actions forced US intelligence agencies to admit extensive spying on their own citizens. It also exposed global surveillance operations undertaken by both the NSA and the GCHQ. But what exactly was leaked, and who was affected?
Click through the following gallery and learn more about the man who stole hundreds of thousands of highly classified secrets and revealed them to the world.