Edward Snowden's Vancouver talk to cover big data ... and human rights

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden will appear in Vancouver via live weblink for a keynote speech on technology and human rights.

The SFU-hosted event, Edward Snowden: Big Data, Security and Human Rights, will take place April 5 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

A panel discussion featuring experts from SFU and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association will be moderated by senior CBC correspondent and host, Laura Lynch.

• SnowdenSurveillance Archivesearchabledatabase
• Snowdensays Canadian spying has weakest oversight in Western world

Audience members will be able to posequestions during the discussion via Twitter.

Snowdenis a controversial figure. Documents he leaked to the Guardian newspaper in 2013 revealed the U.S. government has programs in place to spy on almost everything that hundreds of millions of people do online, including emails, social networking posts, online chat histories, phone calls and texts.

Hailed by some as a civil rights hero, others condemn him as a traitor who compromised national security. He is wanted by the U.S. government on espionage charges.

He became stranded in a Moscow airport in 2013 on his way fromHongKong to Cuba, shortly after he released extensive documentation about theNSA's surveillance programs. Russia has since granted him asylum, attracting the ire of the U.S.

Snowden has said he would be willing to return to the U.S. if he could be guaranteed a fair trialbut doesn't believe that would be possible.