Publication of Snowden Archive Documents Ceased in May 2019

Cessation of Publications

The final document from the Snowden archive was released on May 29, 2019. This publication came from The Intercept, which had been the primary outlet for these documents after other major news organizations ceased their releases. The Guardian stopped publishing documents in February 2014, Der Spiegel in January 2015, and The New York Times and ProPublica in August 2015. The Intercept continued until its archive closed in March 2019, with the last batch appearing eleven weeks later.

Initial Contact and Distribution

Edward Snowden began contacting journalists in December 2012, initially reaching out to Glenn Greenwald of The Guardian. After difficulties establishing secure communication, Snowden shifted his focus to documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras. Poitras then collaborated with investigative journalist Barton Gellman to handle the material.

Snowden shared the archive gradually, sending an encrypted file to Poitras in March 2013 and a physical package in May 2013. On May 21, 2013, Snowden provided Poitras and Gellman with the keys to an encrypted archive named Pandora, containing approximately 50,000 documents.

Archive Duplication and Custody

In late May, Snowden advised Poitras to distribute copies of the material to prevent a 'single point of failure.' She distributed three copies: one to Trevor Timm of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, one to an unidentified individual, and a third to an unknown person. Dale Maharidge also retained a copy of the archive.