abcZ Again, it is clear that you don't understand the significance of the data leak you are commenting on. It appears you are also not interested in learning anything about it, but just to briefly address your thoughts:
abcZ So many ways to dump out information without getting yourself caught up in it legally.
Snowden had access to a database that he built himself working at the NSA which cataloged evidence of global surveillance programs in a way that had never been done before. He was able to release information that no one else had access to. There was no possible way to release the information anonymously, because he was the guy holding the keys.
Immediately after the press started moving with his story, the government made an aggressive attempt to delegitimize the story to make it just go away or not be believed in the public eye. If the information had come from an anonymous source, they may have succeeded. The fact that Snowden put himself behind the release was in itself its own form of proof.
abcZ He failed miserably. That's a fact.
This is plainly wrong simply because you are supposing his goal was to remain anonymous and to not be identified. Since that was impossible given the nature of what he was doing, that was not the goal. Instead, his goal was to successfully expose the information he had without being arrested or assassinated. To that end, he succeeded. He had to give up his entire life, flee the country, and live in Russia as a refugee, but he was not killed or arrested.
Regardless of how people feel about Edward Snowden--whether he is a hero or traitor, et cetera--few would argue that he succeeded.