The famous whistleblower and privacy advocate Edward Snowden went on a commentary spree on the X social media platform (formerly Twitter) on May 2nd. His targets ranged from Bitcoin developers to Elon Musk to the governor of South Dakota.

Elon Musk Poll Draws Snowden's Ire Snowden took issue with a poll Musk posted asking if someone who "tears down the American flag and puts up another flag in its place" should be deported to that country. Snowden scolded Musk, stating that freedom of expression like "flag-trampling" is constitutionally protected in the U.S. for good reason.

He used the example of replacing the American flag with a McDonald's logo, saying "no law possesses a force of its own" and that people must defend laws like free speech protections. Snowden accused Musk of not understanding the principles the U.S. was founded upon.

Weighs In on zkSnacks Shutdown Snowden also commented on the shutdown of private Bitcoin wallet zkSnacks amid pressure from Bitcoin Core developers. He called out the developers, saying "If you're going to build a revolution guys, you can't start by being (expletive) to everyone."

His post implied the developers were attempting censorship and being exclusionary, rather than growing an open network and community. The zkSnacks team had claimed a "toxic" environment forced them to cease operations.

Puppy Mills Take a Hit In another X post, Snowden praised a new South Dakota law that banned puppy mills, calling the governor "not all bad" for signing it despite disagreeing with her stances on other issues like abortion rights.

He railed against the "unimaginable suffering" caused by puppy mills and factory farming of animals, stating "maybe we should stop torturing sapient lifeforms for funsies."

The wide-ranging commentary showcased Snowden's willingness to weigh in on a variety of tech, politics and social issues from his outspoken platform. His posts provided a window into his strongly-held views on freedom, privacy and ethics.