Quotes from Edward Snowden

I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions, and that the return of this information to the public marks my end.

I wanted to fight in the Iraq war because I felt like I had an obligation as a human being to help free people from oppression.

There have been times throughout American history where what is right is not the same as what is legal. Sometimes to do the right thing you have to break the law.

I think the most important idea is to remember that there have been times throughout American history where what is right is not the same as what is legal.

I hope you have read the election programme of the Labour Party...this is not socialism. It is Bolshevism run mad.

You could watch entire villages and see what everyone was doing. I watched NSA tracking people's Internet activities as they typed. I became aware of just how invasive U.S. surveillance capabilities had become. I realized the true breadth of this system. And almost nobody knew it was happening.

The United States Government has placed me on no-fly lists.

I can't in good conscience allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building.

The NSA routinely lies in response to congressional inquiries about the scope of surveillance in America.

Suspicionless surveillance does not become okay simply because it's only victimizing 95% of the world instead of 100%.

No system of mass surveillance has existed in any society that we know of to this point that has not been abused.

These [NSA] programs were never about terrorism: they're about economic spying, social control, and diplomatic manipulation. They're about power.

All the governments just want to have more power when it comes to economic espionage, diplomatic manipulation and political influence.

The government has granted itself power it is not entitled to. There is no public oversight. The result is people like myself have the latitude to go further than they are allowed to.

The issue is we're losing leverage. Governments are increasingly getting more power and we are increasingly losing our ability to control that power, and even to be aware of that power.

These programs were never about terrorism: they're about economic spying, social control, and diplomatic manipulation. They're about power.

You can't come up against the world's most powerful intelligence agencies and not accept the risk.

The [Barack] Obama administration almost appears as though it is afraid of the intelligence community. They're afraid of death by a thousand cuts - you know, leaks and things like that.

I don't think political reform is likely to succeed. [Senators Tom] Udall and [Ron] Wyden, on the intelligence committee, have been sounding the alarm, but they are a minority.

I care more about the country than what happens to me. But we can't allow the law to become a political weapon or agree to scare people away from standing up for their rights, no matter how good the deal. I'm not going to be part of that.

I'm an engineer, not a politician.

You can't come forward against the world's most powerful intelligence agencies and be completely free from risk.

When you use any kind of internet-based capability, any kind of electronic capability, to cause damage to a private entity or a foreign nation or a foreign actor, these are potential acts of war.

Most of the secrets the CIA has are about people, not machines and systems, so I didn't feel comfortable with disclosures that I thought could endanger anyone.