What does Edward Snowden do now?
Asked by: Jade Upton | Last update: July 20, 2026Score: 4.4/5 (45 votes)
Edward Snowden lives in exile in Russia, where he serves as the president of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, an organization dedicated to protecting journalists from surveillance and digital hacking.
What does Edward Snowden do for a living today?
Edward Snowden lives in Moscow, Russia, where he obtained Russian citizenship in 2022, is married to Lindsay Mills, and is raising two sons. He works in the tech industry, continues to serve as president of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, and remains a vocal critic of mass surveillance, often posting on X (formerly Twitter).
What is the current status of Snowden's asylum?
In October 2020, Snowden was granted permanent residency in Russia. His lawyer said that granting an unlimited residence permit became possible after changes in the migration legislation of the Russian Federation in 2019.
Where is Edward Snowden right now?
Edward Snowden continues to live in Moscow, Russia, where he has resided since 2013. He was granted permanent residency in 2020 and became a naturalized Russian citizen in 2022. He lives with his wife, Lindsay Mills, and their two sons, maintaining a relatively quiet life while still working in IT and advocating for privacy.
What condition does Edward Snowden have?
In May 2013, Snowden was permitted temporary leave from his position at the NSA in Hawaii, on the pretext of receiving treatment for his epilepsy.
Edward Snowden: How Your Cell Phone Spies on You
Where is Edward Snowden living now?
Edward Snowden lives in exile in Moscow, Russia, where he has resided since 2013. He was granted permanent residency in 2020 and officially received Russian citizenship in 2022.
What did Obama do to Edward Snowden?
Following Snowden's admission to leaking classified documents regarding national surveillance, Obama attempted to ignore the issue of NSA surveillance. It was speculated that Obama did this to avoid complicating the Department of Justice investigation into Snowden.
How does Edward Snowden make money in Russia?
Edward Snowden makes a living in Russia primarily through remote work as a technology speaker, book royalties, and his role with the Freedom of the Press Foundation. After receiving Russian citizenship in 2022, he has continued his IT-related professional work, living in Moscow while navigating high legal risks from the US.
Are Lindsay Mills and Edward Snowden still together?
Yes, Lindsay Mills is not only still with Edward Snowden but is his wife. After joining him in Moscow in 2014, the couple married in 2017 and have two sons together, born in December 2020 and prior to September 2022. They continue to live together in Russia, where Mills has been active on social media sharing updates on their family.
What did Edward Snowden actually reveal?
In 2013, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked thousands of classified documents revealing widespread, global surveillance programs run by the NSA and its "Five Eyes" partners, in cooperation with major telecom and tech companies. These disclosures exposed that governments were conducting mass, warrantless collection of phone records and internet data from millions of innocent civilians worldwide.
Why is Edward Snowden living in Russia?
Edward Snowden lives in Russia because his US passport was revoked by the American government while he was in transit at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in June 2013, trapping him there after he leaked classified surveillance documents. Facing espionage charges in the US, he sought asylum to avoid arrest and was ultimately granted permanent residency and later Russian citizenship.
Can you live on $1000 a month in Russia?
Total Monthly Budget
A comfortable lifestyle for a single expat in Moscow requires roughly $1,200-1,800 monthly including rent. St. Petersburg drops to $1,000-1,500. Regional cities allow comfortable living on $700-1,200 monthly.
Who pays $100 for asylum?
The Annual Asylum Fee requires asylum applicants with pending cases to pay $100 each year while their application remains under review with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or in immigration court.
When did Snowden come out?
Edward Snowden came forward as the whistleblower who revealed NSA mass surveillance programs on June 9, 2013, after the first stories based on his leaked documents were published on June 5, 2013. He revealed his identity in a video interview with The Guardian while in Hong Kong, stating he had done nothing wrong.
What do people think of Edward Snowden?
June 28–July 8: Quinnipiac University Polling Institute survey found that 55 percent of Americans regarded Snowden as a whistleblower while 34 percent saw him as a traitor.
Did Snowden work for the CIA?
Yes, Edward Snowden worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2006 to 2009. He was employed as a technical/IT expert with top-secret clearance, serving under diplomatic cover in Geneva, Switzerland, to maintain computer network security before later transitioning to contract roles for the NSA.
How many children does Edward Snowden have?
Edward Snowden has two children with his wife, Lindsay Mills. Both children are boys, with the first born in December 2020 and the second born in or prior to September 2022.
What were the consequences for Snowden?
Edward Snowden’s 2013 disclosure of classified National Security Agency (NSA) documents fundamentally altered the global landscape of digital privacy, technology, and governance. His actions exposed widespread, sometimes illegal, mass surveillance programs by the US and its allies, fueling international debates on privacy and triggering, or accelerating, major encryption shifts and legal reforms.
Where does Edward Snowden reside today?
Edward Snowden lives in exile in Moscow, Russia, where he has resided since 2013. He was granted permanent residency in 2020 and officially received Russian citizenship in 2022.
Did Edward Snowden's wife move to Russia?
Lindsay Mills (born February 17, 1985) is an American acrobat and blogger. She came to international attention as the partner of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 at the time of the global surveillance disclosures. Mills left the United States to join Snowden in exile in Moscow around October 2014.
Can two men marry in Russia?
Russia does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions.
How much money was Edward Snowden making?
Before his 2013 disclosures, Edward Snowden earned a salary of approximately $122,000 annually as a contractor for Booz Allen Hamilton. Following his disclosures, he generated over $1.2 million in speaking fees (averaging $18,000 per speech) and earned over $4.2 million from book sales and royalties.
Can Obama run for president again in 2028?
Barack Obama cannot run for president again in 2028. The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution permanently prohibits any individual from being elected to the presidency more than twice, regardless of whether those terms were consecutive. Because Obama has already served two full terms (2009–2017), he is legally barred from the ballot.
Who was the woman who rejected Obama?
Sheila Miyoshi Jager is the woman who rejected marriage proposals from Barack Obama in the mid-1980s before he met Michelle Robinson. According to the 2017 biography Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama by David Garrow, Jager—a professor of East Asian studies—rejected Obama twice, in 1986 and again later, due to his intense political ambition and concerns about their relationship's future.
Who was the whistleblower before Snowden?
After speaking publicly about the need for legislation to protect whistleblowers, Tice received national attention as the first NSA-whistleblower in May 2005 before William Binney, Thomas Andrews Drake, Mark Klein, Thomas Tamm, and Edward Snowden came forward.