RELATED Snowden Speaks: A Vanity Fair Exclusive

In the 10 months since The Guardian and The Washington Post published the first disclosures based on documents leaked by Edward Snowden, a vigorous debate about the National Security Agency’s aggressive intelligence-gathering activities has erupted. An in-depth account of Snowden’s journey from N.S.A. contractor to world-famous whistle-blower, published in the May issue of Vanity Fair, injects a much-needed dose of humanity into the conversation, showing how Snowden’s experiences shaped his decisions. But it’s also worth examining the key questions that concerned citizens in America and around the world have been asking ever since the sheer scope of the N.S.A.’s efforts became clear. Ahead, VF Daily addresses 10 such questions, with input from Snowden’s legal representative, Ben Wizner, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy & Technology Project.

1. Did Edward Snowden break the law?

Snowden was charged in June 2013 with three felonies: theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information, and willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorized person. It’s the position of the N.S.A. and other government officials that Snowden both broke the law and violated an “oath.” Snowden told The Washington Post’s Barton Gellman in December of 2013 that he signed Standard Form 312, a civil agreement not to disclose classified information.

Snowden says the oath he signed was the Oath of Office given to all federal employees, which he signed while at the CIA and which binds him to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Snowden has claimed that he upheld the oath while accusing top N.S.A. officials of breaking it by expanding surveillance beyond what he claims is legally permitted and/or morally justifiable.

2. Could Snowden have chosen to change the system from within, rather than leaking documents?

Snowden is said to have lost his faith in trying to work through the system when he saw other N.S.A. whistle-blowers persecuted for raising concerns internally about the agency’s programs. An N.S.A. representative told Vanity Fair that Snowden made no formal complaints to his N.S.A. colleagues, but Snowden vigorously rejects that claim. “The N.S.A. at this point not only knows I raised complaints, but that there is evidence that I made my concerns known to the N.S.A.’s lawyers, because I did some of it through e-mail,” he told Vanity Fair’s reporting team. “I directly challenge the N.S.A. to deny that I contacted N.S.A. oversight and compliance bodies directly via e-mail and that I specifically expressed concerns about their suspect interpretation of the law, and I welcome members of Congress to request a written answer to this question [from the N.S.A.].”

3. Did Snowden leak the documents irresponsibly?

Unlike WikiLeaks, Snowden did not publish any leaked documents directly. “It has all been by media organizations, after careful deliberation and consultation with the government or governments at issue,” Wizner says. “And they have withheld information at the governments’ request. So there is a lot of care that is going into this.” Moreover, Glenn Greenwald writes Snowden has not leaked a single document since he left Hong Kong in June, and Snowden told Vanity Fairthat he “didn’t want to risk bringing them through Russia.” Rather, new stories (such as *The New York Times*and Der Spiegel’s report that the N.S.A. breached Chinese servers) have surfaced only when the outlets entrusted with the original set of documents decide to publish them. One notable exception came Tuesday, when Snowden himself revealed that the N.S.A. had spied on human rights organizations.