Microsoft creator Bill Gates wouldn't call NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden a hero.
In an interview with Rolling Stone , the world's richest man gave his opinion on government surveillance and the man who brought it all to light: Edward Snowden. When asked if he views Snowden as a hero or a traitor, Gates said, "I think he broke the law, so I certainly wouldn't characterize him as a hero." Gates went on to define that if Snowden had "engaged in civil disobedience" or had "been more careful in terms of what he had released," he would be seen as more heroic. As it stands, Bill Gates assures that Snowden "won't find much admiration from me."
Snowden leaked thousands of classified United States documents to various media outlets, and shows no sign of remorse for his actions, addressing the American public earlier this week by saying he would “absolutely” leak the documents again. He is currently living under temporary asylum in Russia.
Gates then spoke about his opinion on government surveillance in general, saying "There has to be a debate," before clarifying that "the debate needs to be about the general notion of under what circumstances should they be allowed to do things." In August, Microsoft and Google teamed up to sue the US Government for the rights reveal information about official requests for user data, reports the Guardian .
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