Who is Glenn Greenwald? Known for Snowden revelations, expresses no regrets over leaked sex tapes

Time of India

2 days ago

Glenn Greenwald, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist best known for exposing the U.S. government's mass surveillance practices, is once again making headlines, this time over a deeply personal matter.
On May 30, 2025, videos showing Greenwald in intimate, private settings were leaked online without his knowledge or consent. In a statement on X, Greenwald confirmed the videos' authenticity, condemned the leak as 'maliciously political,' and defended the content, saying all acts were consensual. 'I have no embarrassment or regret about them,' he wrote. While the footage sparked viral interest, Greenwald insisted the real issue is the weaponization of privacy for political ends.
The
Snowden revelations
and Pulitzer-winning work
Greenwald rose to global prominence in 2013 after publishing a series of groundbreaking reports in The Guardian based on classified documents leaked by NSA contractor
Edward Snowden
. These documents revealed the extent of domestic and international surveillance conducted by the U.S. government under President Barack Obama. Snowden, who initially contacted Greenwald anonymously in late 2012, passed along a trove of classified documents that showed the U.S.
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government was collecting vast amounts of metadata and personal communication records, including from American citizens, often without warrants.
Greenwald's reports were published in The Guardian, beginning with a bombshell revelation on June 5, 2013, detailing how Verizon was ordered to provide the NSA with phone records for millions of Americans. These revelations triggered a worldwide debate over privacy, civil liberties, and the role of intelligence agencies in democratic societies.
Greenwald, along with his collaborators, faced both praise and intense scrutiny for the disclosures.
In 2014, The Guardian and The Washington Post jointly received the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for their work on the NSA surveillance story. Greenwald's involvement also led to his appearance in the Oscar-winning documentary Citizenfour by Laura Poitras, and he was portrayed by actor Zachary Quinto in Oliver Stone's 2016 film Snowden.
Glenn Greenwald's early journalism and independent voice
Before the Snowden story catapulted him to global prominence, Greenwald had already established himself as a powerful voice in independent journalism. In 2005, he started the blog Unclaimed Territory, where he focused on controversial issues like the Valerie Plame CIA leak investigation and the NSA's warrantless wiretapping program. The blog earned the 2005 Koufax Award for Best New Blog.
In 2007, he joined Salon as a contributing writer, transitioning his blog to the media platform.
At Salon, Greenwald continued to tackle controversial subjects, including the 2001 anthrax attacks and the nomination of John Brennan for CIA Director. His opposition to Brennan's nomination, rooted in concerns about torture and civil liberties, contributed to Brennan temporarily withdrawing from consideration.
Greenwald's strong advocacy for whistleblowers became evident in his vocal support for Chelsea Manning.
In a 2010 article, he described Manning as a hero who acted out of conscience, likening her to Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. His stances often defied party lines, earning him a reputation as a journalist who prioritized principles over political affiliations.
The Intercept and move to Substack
In 2014, Greenwald co-founded The Intercept with filmmaker Laura Poitras and journalist Jeremy Scahill. Funded by eBay co-founder Pierre Omidyar, The Intercept was envisioned as a platform for fearless, independent investigative journalism.
There, Greenwald continued to report on national security issues and political controversies.
However, in 2020, Greenwald resigned from The Intercept, claiming that editors had attempted to censor an article critical of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden. He cited a lack of editorial independence and launched his own newsletter on Substack, where he now publishes content free from institutional constraints.
As of 2025, he has over 324,000 paid and free subscribers, making him one of Substack's most influential voices.
Personal life and response to the leak
Greenwald's personal and professional lives have long been intertwined. He lived in Brazil with his husband, David Miranda, a leftist Brazilian congressman and LGBTQ rights advocate. The couple adopted two boys in 2018. Miranda died in 2023 due to complications from a gastrointestinal infection, a loss that deeply affected Greenwald.
The recent leak of his private videos, Greenwald stated, represents a criminal invasion of privacy aimed at discrediting him for political reasons. 'Obviously it can be uncomfortable and unpleasant when your private behavior is made public against your will,' he wrote on X. 'But the only wrongdoing here is the criminal and malicious publication of the videos.'
Despite the intrusion, Greenwald remains defiant and unapologetic — a stance consistent with the fearless, often controversial career he has built over the past two decades.