As the latest revelation emerged, Edward Snowden continued a remote speaking tour with an address to the TEDx conference in Vancouver, Canada. Speaking from Russia through a robot that wheeled out onto the stage, Snowden urged global citizens to work together against unwarranted government surveillance.

Edward Snowden: “The last year has been a reminder that democracy may die behind closed doors, but we as individuals are born behind those same closed doors. And we don’t have to give up our privacy to have good government. We don’t have to give up our liberty to have security. And I think by working together, we can have both open government and private lives. And I look forward to working with everyone around the world to see that happen.”