Edward Snowden Spoke Via Teleconference From Russia At The SXSW

Snowden spoke remotely from Russia via video link  to an audience of thousands at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin. The event marked the first time the former National Security Agency contractor has directly addressed people in the United States since he fled the country with thousands of secret documents last June.


Snowden appeared in front of a greenscreen displaying the U.S. Constitution characterized the NSA's surveillance program, as well as similar programs from governments around the globe, as "setting fire to the future of the Internet."

Snowden urged internet and computing experts to design and produce encrypted communication technology that the average user can use.

He also criticised the NSA's mass data collection system as being ineffective and a waste of resources. Instead, he said, the agency should be focusing on the type of people who present a threat.