Edward Snowden Reveals Identity as NSA Whistleblower in Hong Kong Video

Edward Snowden publicly revealed himself as the source behind the explosive NSA surveillance leaks in a 12-minute video interview filmed at the Mira Hotel in Kowloon, Hong Kong, and published by The Guardian. The 29-year-old former NSA contractor and CIA technical assistant had flown to Hong Kong on May 20, 2013, before the first stories based on his leaks were published.

In the video interview conducted by journalist Glenn Greenwald and filmed by documentarian Laura Poitras, Snowden explained his motivations for the unprecedented disclosure: “I don’t want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded,” and stated that “My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them.” Snowden emphasized that he understood the consequences of his actions but believed the public had a right to know about mass surveillance programs.

At the time of the revelation, Snowden was working for defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton at an NSA facility in Hawaii, earning approximately $200,000 per year. He acknowledged that he was giving up a comfortable life, his family, and potentially his freedom to expose what he viewed as unconstitutional surveillance. The decision to reveal his identity was deliberate—Snowden wanted to take responsibility for the disclosures rather than remain anonymous. His public emergence transformed him into one of the most polarizing figures in modern American history, hailed as a hero by privacy advocates and condemned as a traitor by national security officials.

The revelation set in motion a chain of events that would lead to criminal charges, international asylum requests, and a global debate about the balance between security and privacy in the digital age.