Snowden Spending Time in Exile on Solving Technology, Privacy Problems

Whistleblower Edward Snowden said in a video-conference sponsored by the PEN America free speech association that spends the majority of his time in exile developing technological solutions to ensure communications remain private.

Snowden currently works with academics, technologists and engineers on privacy solutions, as well as collaborating with the US-based Freedom of the Press Foundation.

"Right now, I spend almost all of my time working on coordinating to solve really tough technical problems, in terms of how do we enforce the protection of our rights, the privacy of our communications," Snowden stated on Tuesday.

In 2013, Snowden exposed the US National Security Agency (NSA) for covertly spying on the communications of virtually all US citizens.

He also reported spending more time working with advocacy organizations and "worthy movements" to defend civil liberties.

Since the scope of the NSA spying was revealed, technologists, IT companies and civil liberties groups have worked on encryption and other protective measures to ensure private and secure communications.

After fleeing the United States, Snowden was granted asylum in Russia. The United States has sought to extradite Snowden and prosecute him under the US Espionage Act for revealing classified NSA programs.