Edward Snowden:

I'd like to ask a question… about the bulk collection of private records by intelligence and law enforcement services. Recently, two independent White House investigations, as well as a federal court, all concluded that these programs are ineffective in stopping terrorism. They also all found that these programs unreasonably intrude into the private lives of ordinary citizens, individuals who have never been suspected of any wrongdoing or criminal activity. And that these kind of programs are not the least intrusive means available to such agencies for these investigative purposes.

Now, I've seen little public discussion of Russia's own involvement in policies of mass surveillance so I'd like to ask you: does Russia intercept, store or analyse in any way the communications of millions of individuals, and do you believe that simply increasing the effectiveness of of intelligence or law enforcement agencies can justify placing societies, rather than subjects, under surveillance? Thank you.

President Putin:

Mr. Snowden you are a former agent—a spy— I used to be working work for an intelligence service. We are going to talk one professional language. First of all, our intelligence efforts are strictly regulated by our law, so how special forces can use this kind of special equipment as they intercept phone calls or follow someone online and you have to get a court permission to stalk a particular person. We don't have a mass system of such interception and according to our law it cannot exist.

Of course we know that criminals and terrorists use technology for their criminal acts and of course the special services have to use technical means to respond to their crimes, and including those of [a] terrorist nature. Of course we do some efforts like that, but we don’t have a mass-scale, uncontrollable efforts like that. I hope we won't do that, and we don't have that much money as they have in the States, and we don't have these technical devices that they have in the States.

Our special services… are strictly controlled by the society and the law, and are regulated by the law.