His disclosures revealed numerous global surveillance programs, many run by the NSA and the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance with the cooperation of telecommunication companies and European governments, and prompted a cultural discussion about national security and individual privacy.
Department of Justice unsealed charges against Snowden of two counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and theft of government property, Two days later, he flew into Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, where Russian authorities noted that his U.S. Russia later granted Snowden the right of asylum with an initial visa for residence for one year, and repeated extensions have permitted him to stay at least until 2020.
