Edward Snowden’s role as a whistleblower in the information-gathering programs conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA) is well known to us. In fact, he has even been labeled a traitor by Dick Cheney.
But do you know the net worth of Edward Snowden? Here is all the personal information you were looking for!
Edward Snowden Net Worth
As per our estimates, the net worth of Mr Snowden is $57.7 Million in 2024. An erstwhile government computer intelligence consultant, Snowden currently resides in Russia with his family.
According to an interview in the Guardian, Snowden earned up to $200,000 per year at the peak of his career as a computer intelligence consultant. During his corporate career, he worked for Dell and Booz Allen Hamilton, with the latter being his last employer.
Snowden came into the limelight after he made shocking revelations as a whistleblower about the NSA. He leaked classified information that exposed mass global government surveillance programs run by the Central Intelligence Agency.
Owing to his role as a whistleblower, Edward Snowden is facing charges from the United States Department of Justice. Charged with violating the Espionage Act and exposing highly classified information, Edward fled the USA and escaped to Russia, where he now holds citizenship.
What Are the Main Sources Through Which Edward Snowden Makes Money
As far as we've found out, Edward Snowden’s primary sources of money currently are through speaking engagements and investments in cryptocurrency.
According to the website Statista, Snowden has made more than $1.2 million in speaking fees, since his controversial revelations.
Between September 2015 and May 2020, Snowden’s earnings were around $1,225,800. These majorly came from the 67 speeches and panel discussions that he participated in.
He also earned $35,000 at Piston in Kuwait and $32,000 from an event at a Portuguese tourism association.
He is also an advocate of Bitcoin. According to Forbes, he played a role in developing the privacy-enhancing cryptocurrency Zcash (ZEC).
His most recent source of earning is his book titled “Permanent Record”. It is an autobiography that gives a peek into the life of Edward Snowden from his childhood to his revelation of the numerous global surveillance programs and subsequent exile in Russia.
However, you might be shocked to know that the US Government banned his share of profits from the book. According to them, these gains were made through a breach of government property contract. The government has also put a similar ban on his earnings from other sources.
What Assets Does Edward Snowden Own?
Edward Snowden comes from an ordinary family and does not own much assets. Edward Joseph Snowden left the US after copying classified documents from the NSA.
He initially fled to Hong Kong where he revealed the sensitive information that implicated the NSA.
Since then, he traveled to various countries before seeking asylum in Russia where he currently resides. Snowden owns intangible assets like his book which earns him royalties.
We've found out that in 2016, he was one of the 6 pioneers who helped in the development of Zcash (ZEC).
Zcash is a digital currency that’s coded to protect the privacy of the owner, nature, and amount of the transactions that occur. It is an option for those who want to make private payments and investments digitally without letting prying eyes monitor their transactions.
Other than that, we don't have much information on any substantial assets owned by Edward Snowden in the USA or Russia.
Personal Life Of Edward Snowden
Most of the information that we've gathered about Snowden’s early life and family comes from his autobiography – “Permanent Record”. In it, he talks about his life’s story and gives detailed glimpses into his childhood.
We've seen that Snowden’s early life and childhood was very similar to any other common US national. There was hardly anything striking that comes to our notice.
Edward Joseph Snowden was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, on June 21 1983. His father worked as a warrant officer in the Coast Guard while his mother was a clerk at the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. He also has an elder sibling, Jessica, a lawyer at the Federal Judicial Center in Washington, D.C.
His family moved to Fort Meade in the 1990s and most of his childhood was spent there. He attended public schools in Anne Arundel County.
However, Edward Snowden dropped out of school in his sophomore year and instead passed the General Educational Development test. He studied at the Anne Arundel Community College.
As a child, he had a keen interest in computers and anime. He was fascinated by computers and technology and also registered on the Ars Technica website. Being a fan of Japanese popular culture, Snowden also learned Mandarin and worked for an anime company in the United States.
Snowden’s parents divorced in 2001, after which he lived with his mother in Ellicott City, MD. In 2004, Edward Snowden enlisted in the United States Army Reserve Special Forces training program. However, he had to quit because he broke his legs during training.
After this, he was employed as a security guard at the University of Maryland's Center for Advanced Study of Language.
Personal Life Of Edward Snowden
Snowden met his girlfriend Lindsay Mills, a 28-year-old performance artist on a dating website. The two enjoyed a long courtship period. After Lindsay completed her studies, she joined Snowden in Geneva, where he was training with the CIA.
Edward Snowden quit the CIA eventually and began working as a Dell-assigned NSA contractor. When he moved to Hawaii in this role, Snowden and Lindsay began living together in Waipahu.
From Dell, Snowden moved on to work as an NSA contractor with a different firm - Booz Allen Hamilton in 2013. It was during this time that he revealed the mass surveillance information to Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, and Bartan Gellman from a secure location in Hong Kong.
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden's revelations first appeared in the Washington Post and the UK’s Guardian newspaper. However, as we've learned, he didn't broadcast his findings on the popular New York Times as Snowden didn’t “trust” them.
Edward and Lindsay tied the knot in Russia and reside in a rented apartment in Moscow with their two children. In an interview, we saw that Snowden revealed his discovery of American fast food similar to the one he enjoyed in Hawaii and Maryland, in this new country.
From his latest posts such as the comment on the online poll by Elon Musk, we've understood that he enjoys an online presence. Edward continues his role as the president of the Freedom of the Press Foundation.
Conclusion:
Although his early life was nothing unusual, at this stage, we can conclude that Edward Snowden’s journey through life has been controversial. Even today, people in the United States, and those within our nearest circles, remain divided on his role as a whistleblower.
Regardless of whether you think he did right or wrong, you now know his net worth and life story!
FAQ
Q. Where does Snowden live now?
A: Edward Snowden lives in Moscow, Russia, with his wife Lindsay Mills, and two sons. He has been in exile since 2013 when he leaked confidential information about global surveillance disclosures by the NSA.
He has now acquired Russian citizenship. Meanwhile, the White House wants him to return and face the charges in his country.
Q. Where is the XKeyscore?
A: The XKeyscore is a top-secret NSA surveillance program. It is not located in one place.
Rather, it has more than 700 servers at many sites across the world. This system is a digital NSA analyst that can analyze emails and internet activity associated with any individual.
Q. Who is Snowden’s wife?
A: Edward Snowden is married to his long-time girlfriend Lindsay Miles who is an acrobat and blogger. Miles left the US for Moscow in 2014 and the two got married there.
She now lives in exile in Moscow with Snowden and their children. All of them have acquired Russian citizenship.