In terms of sources coming forward, I really reject this idea of talking about one, two, three sources. There are many sources that have informed the reporting we’ve done and I think that Americans owe them a debt of gratitude for taking the risk they do.

That’s a question you’d have to present to people in the White House.

One of the things that I think is true is that encryption actually is able to secure our communications, that every individual can use encryption, and that it’s accessible and in many cases free.

I think it’s radical to censor information because the government asks you to. That’s radical.

People are starting to understand that the devices we carry with us reveal our location, who we’re talking to, and all kinds of other information.

When the most important decisions are made in secret, we lose our ability to check the powers that control.

In all my work, I’m interested in understanding big issues through the lives of individuals...

I don’t speak Arabic – I know a little to get by, but that’s all.

One of the most frightening things, I think, is the capacity for retroactive searching, so you can go back in time and trace who someone is in contact with and where they’ve been.

It’s not everyday that a whistleblower is actually willing to be identified.