Edward Snowden, the in-exile, former NSA employee whose leaks helped shed light on secretive U.S. government surveillance programs, has joined the Twitterverse.
Snowden is currently in Russia, but that isn't stopping him from continuing to make headlines in the name of surveillance reform. He's been on the site for less than a day, and already, he is making waves, gaining followers and sparking conversations.
Perhaps then, it isn't surprising to learn what he decided to follow first on the popular social networking site: the official NSA Twitter account. So far, it's the only account he follows, and the NSA was also the target of his first tweet.
Can you hear me now?
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 29, 2015
He's already making friends, too. Everybody's favorite astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, welcomed Snowden to Twitter, and soon enough, the two were having a conversation.
Ed @Snowden, If you visit Mars, I'd bet any life forms there will greet you with a sip of that water -- and a tourist visa. — Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) September 29, 2015
.@neiltyson Surveillance never sleeps, and secret projects @FreedomofPress are keeping me busy, but I still find time for cat pictures. — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 29, 2015
.@neiltyson Stay free.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 29, 2015
Snowden's account currently has more than 200,000 followers, a number that is rapidly growing. His first tweet as of this writing has been retweeted 27,000 times. His profile reads, "I used to work for the government. Now I work for the public. Director at @FreedomofPress."
Not too bad for his first day on Twitter. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the NSA has yet to tweet him back.
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