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verified: https://theintercept.com/2015/09/29/edward-snowden-twitter-s...

Pretty cool to see Neil DeGrasse Tyson chatting with Snowden. It's like all the internet's heroes got together in one room for a photo op.

> It's like all the internet's heroes got together in one room for a photo op.

That's about all they do. Market themselves, hype, clickbait and spam their brand.

Nice to see all the internet meme brands in one room, it's almost like it's not just more self promotion.

I'm really curious if he acquired the @snowden handle from somebody that was sitting on it, or if it actually wasn't taken until now.

According to the Intercept[1], the account was squatted and unused for 3 years, and Twitter released it to associates of Snowden upon request. Considering Jack Dorsey's response to the matter, it's not surprising they'd acquiece.

I've heard Twitter can be pretty accommodating when it comes to squatted usernames when there's an official reason like a trademark or strongly worded letter from a law firm citing brand confusion. Maybe Snowden's legal team or his associates at the ACLU just asked nicely :-)

[1] https://theintercept.com/2015/09/29/edward-snowden-twitter-s...

[2] https://twitter.com/jack/status/648894111634857984

@Snowden