Edward Snowden claims offshore companies still compiling secret databases despite leaks

Edward Snowden, a former US intelligence officer and whistle-blower who revealed classified material on digital surveillance operations, claims offshore firms continue to construct secret databases despite revelations like the Pandora Papers. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) released a new leak on the purported financial secrets of over 35 current and former world leaders, as well as over 330 politicians and bureaucrats from around the world, earlier in the day, according to Sputnik. The publication, dubbed Pandora Papers after the 2016 Panama Papers incident, was based on a leak of 11.9 million data, according to the ICIJ. More than 600 reporters from 117 nations contributed to the probe, which spanned the world.

Snowden went on Twitter on Saturday and wrote, "The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) released a new leak on the purported financial secrets of over 35 current and former world leaders, as well as over 330 politicians and bureaucrats from around the world, earlier in the day. The publication, dubbed Pandora Papers after the 2016 Panama Papers incident, was based on a leak of 11.9 million data, according to the ICIJ. According to the ICIJ, more than 600 reporters from 117 nations contributed to the probe, which spanned the world."

In 2013, Snowden disclosed hundreds of thousands of confidential documents

In 2013, Edward Snowden disclosed hundreds of thousands of confidential documents. Snowden's disclosures revealed the breadth and scope of US spying on other countries, including routine eavesdropping on international leaders, in addition to exposing the US domestic surveillance programme. Snowden fled the United States for Hong Kong and then Russia, where he was held at the Moscow airport for more than a month while the US attempted to extradite him to face criminal prosecution on spying accusations. In the summer of 2014, the whistleblower was given refuge in Russia and obtained a three-year residency permit, which was later extended and replaced with a permanent one.

More about Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden is a former computer intelligence analyst who, while working for the CIA as a subcontractor, disclosed highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013. His revelations exposed a slew of global surveillance programmes, many of which were run by the National Security Agency and the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance with the help of telecommunication companies and European governments, and sparked a cultural debate about national security and individual privacy.

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