Activists commission pro-Ed Snowden ads on the side of public buses

(26 Nov 2013) Billboards thanking National Security Agency analyst-turned leaker Edward Snowden have started appearing on buses in Washington, DC.
The ads are part of a campaign by the non-profit group Partnership for Civil Justice Fund to show support for Snowden and increase public debate over the NSA's surveillance practices.
"It's giving voice to the sentiment that's held by millions of people across the United States that it's time to put an end to the bulk surveillance that the NSA has been conducting on the law abiding citizens across the United States and the world," said Carl Messineo, the legal director of the Fund.
The group originally purchased the advertising space on just one bus, for one month.
But after receiving donations from across the United States, the ads will appear on five more busses the week of January 6th, timed for the opening of Congress.
"It's time to stop the NSA from seizing and searching my emails, my gmail, logging my telephone calls. I never signed up for this," Messineo said.
"We want people across the United States to be engaged in their democracy. Because this is the fundamental challenge that's facing democracy today," he added.
Since last summer, Snowden has been living in Russia, which granted him a one-year asylum after he leaked information about the NSA's surveillance activities.
The US government has been exploring ways to bring Snowden back to face espionage charges, amid fears he still holds thousands of unreleased, classified documents.


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