Edward Snowden, the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor charged with espionage after leaking classified information, had a busy day on the It seemed like it was pouring out . He became the world’s richest man from South Dakota.
Snowden, an outspoken whistleblower who lived in a Russian asylum until he was granted full citizenship in Russia in 2022, gained media attention following his whistleblowing incident. He now has celebrity status, especially in some tech-based communities, and is well known for speaking on topics related to freedom and privacy.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk, another high-profile technologist known for speaking on issues related to freedom, was among those who drew Snowden’s ire in a rambling speech on May 2. After Musk posted a poll asking whether “someone who takes down an American flag and puts up another one” should be deported to the country that flew the American flag, Snowden chided the billionaire with a lesson in free speech.
In a post on Musk’s He then asked what would happen if someone replaced the American flag with a flag with the McDonald’s logo on it.
In a further post, Snowden said: continued:
“For no law, not even one so described as the ‘supreme law of the land’ like the Constitution, has a force of its own. Ink can’t jump off the page to fight for your rights. The law can protect the people only when the people protect the law. That strength comes from ourselves.”
Musk did not appear to respond.
Related: Musk charges new X users to post, but some say it won’t stop the bots
Bitcoin
When it comes to Bitcoin (BTC), Snowden posted his final warning:
“I have been warning Bitcoin developers for 10 years that privacy protections must be provided at the protocol level,” he added. “This is your final warning. “The clock is ticking.”
The warning appears to have been triggered by news that Wasabi Wallet developer zkSNACKs was shutting down.
It’s unclear what exactly Snowden was warning about, but the whistleblower has long been associated as an advocate and proponent of cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin.
Kristy Noem
After opining about the state of free speech regarding X and the future of Bitcoin, Snowden made some sharp comments about South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
The embattled Republican recently became the target of massive social and traditional media backlash after it was revealed that an excerpt from a soon-to-be-released book she wrote included a story about her shooting her 14-month-old puppy in the head.
Noem later defended her actions as permissible under the law, and in follow-up comments went so far as to say the dog was untrainable and dangerous.
It was clearly these comments that angered Snowden and led him to draw comparisons between excessive force in law enforcement and Noem’s farm animal policies.
Snowden’s post referred to Noem as a “puppy killer,” adding, “Okay, sure.” Soon the police union will tell us that her puppy was coming right for her. “The sudden movement, she feared for her life.”