'We don't want a police state': Edward Snowden slams Australian metadata laws

Whistleblower Edward Snowden has taken aim at Australia's metadata retention laws, which he claims violate the personal freedoms of all Australians. On Saturday, Snowden addressed an audience in Sydney, Australia via a teleconferencing robot at a Think Inc. event, An Evening With Edward Snowden. Snowden is the former National Security Agency contractor who was responsible for the massive leak of classified government documents in 2013, which showed the U.S. government was spying on ordinary American citizens without their knowledge. He has since become a vocal spokesperson for the undeniable need for government transparency and his live discussion in Australia was no exception. SEE ALSO: Truth is scarier than fiction in the first'Snowden' trailer Discussing the controversial Australian metadata laws, which were passed in March 2015 and allow the Australian government to access two years worth of your metadata, Snowden said the Orwellian surveillance of Australians is a violation of liberty and we all deserve privacy as a basic right.