10 Things We Learned From Edward Snowden On Joe Rogan's Podcast

8. Ephemeral Moments Don't Exist Anymore

There's a 20-25 minute spell in the interview that focuses on nothing but technological advancement and the worrying fixation people have with smartphone use all day (every day). It's hardly lost on Snowden that he was using technology to communicate with Rogan, but he's not fighting some war against tech.

In fact, he loves it. Ed's merely worried that its rise means ephemeral, personal experiences are lost on humanity. Cell phones track everything, and there's stored information about where you've been at all times regardless of where you go. For example, even if you can't remember where you were four years on 24 October, the government probably can.

Your phone allows them an endless stream of content because it's connected to their network.

Snowden seemed sad about this. Whilst he recognises the good such technology has done (being able to share happy times, keep hold of important memories etc), he also thinks it's concerning that people are never disconnected from what is effectively government surveillance.