December 18, 2014 Thursday

Edward Snowden - level 3

Edward Snowden has won an award often referred to as the alternative Nobel Prize in recognition for his work on press freedom. So, in 60 seconds here’s all you need to know about the man himself.

Firstly, he's a wanted man. In 2013, the computer analyst published thousands of classified documents to media outlets whilst working for the US National Security Agency. Those top secret papers exposed a global network of surveillance taking place in the US and UK, as well as mass surveillance programs.

Naturally, the US government wasn’t too happy about all this and charged him with theft of government property and other things.

So the whistleblower fled to Hong Kong and then to Russia with the intent of seeking asylum in Ecuador, but Ecuador didn't want him until he got there, so he stayed in Russia and now they've given him a three-year resident permit.

The 31-year-old became a hero for those seeking justice against their governments and people who felt angry about being spied on.

His story is now being turned into a film and there's even a comic book series about his life.

Difficult words: alternative (other), recognition (act of showing respect), press freedom (when people learn something important through the news), classified (secret), outlet (company), surveillance(spying), whistleblower (person who tells people about something bad being done), intent (plan),asylum (the protection of a country).

Is Edward Snowden a hero?