I'm not a spy, which is the real question

We are a representative democracy. But how did we get there? We got there through direct action. And that's enshrined in our Constitution and in our values.

I'm saying we need to be aware of it, and we need to be able to distinguish when political developments are occurring that are contrary to the public interest.

All this is a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because it helps people establish what they value; they understand the sort of ideas they identify with. The curse is that they aren't challenged in their views. The Internet becomes an echo chamber. Users don't see the counterarguments.

The question of whether I, as a whistleblower, should be pardoned, is not for me to answer.

I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions, and that the return of this information to the public marks my end.

When the police officers knock on your door with a warrant, they don't expect you to give them a tour. It's supposed to be an adversarial process so that it's used in these extraordinary powers are applied only when there's no alternative. Only when they're absolutely necessary, and only when they're proportionate to the threat faced by these individuals.