National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden took to Reddit Thursday, once again answering questions about surveillance reform, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul’s 10-hour filibuster, and whether or not he misses pizza in Russia.
Snowden answered numerous questions during a Reddit AUA, or
“Ask Us Anything,” which he participated in alongside American
Civil Liberties Union Deputy Legal Director Jameel Jaffer.
Snowden was asked how he felt seeing Republican Senator Rand Paul
stage a filibuster for almost half a day in
an attempt to block a clean renewal of the Patriot Act, which the
NSA has used to justify collecting Americans’ telephone data in
bulk.
“It represents a sea change from a few years ago, when
intrusive new surveillance laws were passed without any kind of
meaningful opposition or debate,” he responded.
“Whatever you think about Rand Paul or his politics, it’s
important to remember that when he took the floor to say ‘No’ to
any length of reauthorization of the Patriot Act, he was speaking
for the majority of Americans — more than 60% of whom want to see
this kind of mass surveillance reformed or ended.”