Calling for greater encryption of communication between people, fugitive Edward Snowden on Monday said government surveillance is more dangerous than private companies snooping on people.
Snowden spoke at the Austin Convention Center, where the annual South by Southwest gathering was held, through videoconference from an undisclosed location in Russia. CNN quoted Snowden as saying that he has no regrets about leaking NSA documents last summer which led to him being declared a traitor in the U.S.
"Would I do it again? Absolutely. Regardless of what happens to me, this is something we had a right to," Snowden said, according CNN.
In a response to World Wide Web founder Tim Berners - Lee on what he would like to see changed about the current surveillance system. Snowden said there was a need for greater public oversight.
"We need public oversight ... some way for trusted public figures to advocate for us. We need a watchdog that watches Congress, because if we're not informed, we can't consent to these (government) policies," former security-contractor was quoted by CNN as saying.
Techcrunch reported Snowden as saying that his work has contributed to securing the nation and not jeopardizing its security, as has been claimed. It also reported that the former CIA and NSA employee had taken on Director of the National Security Agency General Keith Alexander and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, saying that they did more damage to national and internet security than anyone else.
According to Reuters, following Snowden's revelations last year the U.S. stopped snooping on allies and restricted phone data collection. Private organizations also stepped up their security, the report said.
While those in the administration have decried SXSW's invitation to Snowden, the gathering at the ACC applauded him for standing up for civil liberties, Reuters said. After the leaks last year, Snowden fled through Hong Kong to Russia, where he was granted asylum.
