Edward Snowden Calls Government Surveillance 'Wrong' During Princeton University Presentation

Edward Snowden defended his decision to leak classified documents while he was employed by the NSA during a video Q&A with Washington Post journalist Barton Gellman at Princeton University this weekend, the Princeton Packet reports.

Appearing via video from a location in Russia, he called mass surveillance by the government “wrong” and said the programs never should’ve been authorized in the first place during a 90-minute presentation, according to the report.

Snowden made headlines in 2013 when he leaked documents that illuminated the National Security Agency’s reach into the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the globe to the media. He has been charged with espionage, had his passport revoked and currently lives in asylum in Russia.

The audience at Princeton was mostly friendly toward Snowden, who received an ovation. Gellman reported on the material, saying he was surprised by the amount of surveillance the government does overseas, according to the report.