In a Feb. 18 post on X, former U.S. intelligence agent Edward Snowden said, “Unpopular but true: Bitcoin is the most significant monetary advance since the creation of coinage. If you don’t believe me or don’t get it, I don’t have time to try to convince you, sorry.” 

Snowden rose to fame in 2013 after leaking thousands of classified documents from the U.S. government, showing that surveillance on everyday U.S. citizens had ramped up considerably. The shocking report showed that the government was monitoring phone and text communications through a program called Prism.

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When Snowden went public, there was a huge debate about whether he should be considered a hero or a traitor. While the leaks did bring about some changes to surveillance law, Snowden ultimately sought asylum in Russia, before he was formally granted citizenship in 2022.

Because of his rise to fame, some look to Snowden as a voice of reason and someone to take advice from. In the past, he has used this attention to promote a book and appear in several films. However, in 2024, Snowden is using his notoriety to show his support for Bitcoin. 

His post on X was a strong take, saying that Bitcoin is more important than other monetary advancements, such as the creation of central banks or the process of lending and borrowing. However, Snowden believes that Bitcoin specifically has the potential to change society more than any of the other advancements.

Snowden was an early adopter of Bitcoin. He used the technology as early as 2013 to fund servers from which he garnered some classified documents. 

The uses of Bitcoin are closely related to Snowden’s personal views and actions, specifically as it relates to information security and openness. Bitcoin uses blockchain technology to secure information, making it so that all information is both publicly viewable and immutable. 

In the post, Snowden seems to be implying that using Bitcoin and blockchain could provide more open information-sharing opportunities as well as more security and globality for transactions. 

Snowden also posted on X earlier this month, saying, “Everybody watching the #SuperBowl and here I am watching the bitcoin chart.” 

The original post, touting Bitcoin as “the most significant monetary advance since the creation of coinage,” has received over 3 million views, 10,000 comments and nearly 50,000 likes. 

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