Snowden Asked Putin A Question

Mr. Snowden asked Mr. Putin : "Does Russia intercept, store, or analyze in any way, the communications of millions of individuals?"

DJ Snowden Appears On TV Event With Putin (2014/04/18 08:03AM)

   (FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 4/18/14) 
   By Lukas I. Alpert 

MOSCOW -- Edward Snowden made a public appearance in Russia on Thursday on a televised call-in show with President Vladimir Putin, who told the fugitive ex-National Security Agency contractor that personal privacy is better protected in Russia than in the U.S.

It marked the first time Mr. Snowden has appeared at a Russian government event since receiving political asylum last summer. He became marooned in Russia after the U.S. -- which has charged him with espionage for leaking details of highly classified government surveillance programs -- invalidated his passport as he tried to travel to Ecuador for asylum.
Mr. Snowden has kept a low profile, staying at a distance from the Russian government. His surprise appearance at the Kremlin-organized event led to sharp criticism from detractors in the U.S. and beyond, who suggested he had allowed himself to be used by the Kremlin.
He appeared almost three hours into the question-and-answer session, an annual event that is typically heavily scripted with questions often submitted in advance. Mr. Snowden wasn't in the studio with Mr. Putin and, instead, appeared on a screen in what appeared to be a pre-recorded video.

After questioning the effectiveness of U.S. surveillance programs in stopping terrorism and the intrusion they make into people's private lives, Mr. Snowden asked Mr. Putin whether Russia engaged in similar activities. "Does Russia intercept, store, or analyze in any way, the communications of millions of individuals?" he asked. "Do you believe that simply increasing the effectiveness of intelligence or law enforcement investigations can justify placing societies rather than subjects under surveillance?" 

Mr. Putin, a former KGB agent, said Russia's security service adheres to the law in obtaining warrants for wiretapping and electronic surveillance. "We don't have a mass system of such interception and according to our law, it cannot exist," he said. "We do not have a wide-scale, uncontrolled effort like that in the United States." 

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow tweeted afterward Mr. Snowden "will probably be interested to know that the laws of the Russian Federation allows for the control, storage and study of all communication data in Russia."

"This includes facsimile messages, Internet searches and emails. But today Snowden did not get such a direct answer," the embassy said.

Mr. Snowden has said he lives freely in Russia and has no relationship with the Kremlin. His Russian lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, denied his client had been pressured to participate. "He decided to do this himself. There was no negotiation with the Kremlin," he said. "Edward had the opportunity, so he asked the question."