CONDEMNATION FOR HIS LEAKS
‘What I can tell you is that the leaks from Snowden have been very damaging. They have put our operations at risk. It is clear that our adversaries are rubbing their hands with glee. Al Qaeda is lapping it up and our own security has suffered as a consequence.’
Sir John Sawers, then MI6 chief, 2013
‘There are people in the world who want to do us harm, who want to blow up our families, who want to maim people in our country. What Snowden is doing and to an extent what the newspapers are doing in helping him is frankly signalling to people who mean to do us harm, how to evade and avoid intelligence and surveillance and other techniques.
‘That is not going to make our world safer. ‘It’s going to make our world more dangerous.’
David Cameron, 2013
‘As a result of what he has done, it’s become more difficult for our security agencies to do the job they need to do to keep us safe. He has potentially put lives at risk.’
Theresa May, then Home Secretary, 2015
‘The so-called Snowden revelations have made our work more difficult. The actions he took helped to signal to people who may try to do us harm how to avoid surveillance. That is going to make [the world] more dangerous.’ Cressida Dick, then Met
Police Assistant Commissioner, 2014