Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak: Snowden ‘had the guts and courage to sacrifice his life’

Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak says National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden is a hero.

Joining a long list of tech-celebrity supporters, including World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee, Wozniak publicly praised Snowden today at German tech conference Cebit 2014, The Times of India reports.

“He is a hero to me, but he may be a traitor to other people and I understand the reasons for them to think that way. I believe that Snowden believed, like I do, that the US has a right to freedom. He had the guts and courage to sacrifice his life for a principle.”

“He has been vindicated and there have been illegal judgements and the NSA, and by the way, we have other three letter agencies like the CIA and FBI, and they are probably doing similar things. They cover up those loopholes, and they are in violation with our Constitution.”

Wozniak’s endorsement on its own is unsurprising. The extent to which he detailed his appreciation for Snowden, however, is certainly intriguing — and further backs Snowden’s case that he’s a whistleblower and not a Russian spy.