At long last, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden joined the rank and file of Twitter on Tuesday afternoon. His online arrival quickly became a trending topic.
— Twitter (@twitter) September 29, 2015
@Snowden has already gained over 600,000 followers, and most of those have expressed their support.
— Christopher Isene (@cisene) September 29, 2015
— Matteo Panella (@rfc1459) September 29, 2015
— IDS Opinion (@ids_opinion) September 29, 2015
— chris rusay (@keephuman) September 29, 2015
Some even took the opportunity to compare the 32-year-old to the Caped Crusader.
— Paul Herrera (@pherrera) September 29, 2015
Others shared their love in surprising ways.
— Jossued Adrián Peña (@Joey_Rock) September 29, 2015
— Veritrope (@Veritrope) September 29, 2015
— jared_nangle (@jared_nangle) September 29, 2015
— Dan Simpson (@iDanSimpson) September 29, 2015
Then there’s Republican presidential candidate George Pataki.
— George E. Pataki (@GovernorPataki) September 29, 2015
— George E. Pataki (@GovernorPataki) September 29, 2015
There was, however, an unexpectedly divisive reaction among members of hacking group Anonymous. While @YourAnonNews sent out positive vibes, @YourAnonCentral was more wary about Snowden’s celebrity.
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) September 29, 2015
— Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral) September 29, 2015
A former contractor with the US National Security Agency, Snowden gained worldwide attention when he exposed the US government’s domestic spying apparatus. Facing up to 30 years in an American prison, he is currently living in exile in Russia, where he has been granted a three-year residency permit.
— Julia ♀♎ (@MissKittyKawaii) September 29, 2015
— Andy N (@apmn14) September 29, 2015
— James Acklin (@jamesacklin) September 29, 2015
His presence in an online public forum will allow him to participate in conversations about Internet privacy and digital surveillance.
At this time, Snowden only follows one other account: the NSA.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 29, 2015
