Edward Snowden Now on Twitter
Charles Platiau/AP
His bio states he "used to work for the government."
Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has joined Twitter. And he's been verified.
The famous whistle-blower -- or infamous traitor, depending on whom you ask -- has been living under asylum in Moscow since 2013. While Snowden initially tried to stay out of the limelight following his exodus from the United States, over the past couple years he has begun to give interviews with human rights groups and journalists. As of today, Snowden is officially a part of the larger global community of social media.
Can you hear me now?
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 29, 2015For his second tweet, Snowden responded to everyone's favorite astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Feeling a Geek vibe. Edward @Snowden, the man behind the global mass surveillance revelations. Welcome to @twitter.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) September 29, 2015
.@neiltyson Thanks for the welcome. And now we've got water on Mars! Do you think they check passports at the border? Asking for a friend.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 29, 2015Within the first 20 minutes, Snowden received over 44,000 Twitter followers, though that number will likely continue to climb fast. As of 1 p.m. today, he's racked up 179,000 followers.
Whom has he decided to follow? Only NSA's official account.