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Putin tells Snowden live on air: no 'massive scale' surveillance of public communications

Edward Snowden is not only working the conference circuit, or playing a part in Pulitzer prize-winning journalism, he's now taking his cause to world leaders directly. This morning Snowden asked Vladimir Putin live on Russian television if his government intercepts the communications of its citizens. Putin responded, telling him "on a massive scale, on an uncontrolled scale we certainly do not allow this and I hope we will never allow it". Putin has been busy this morning taking part in an annual event where the head of state takes questions from the public. Of course, given the current military tensions with Ukraine, his approach to public privacy has other pressing issues to contend with.