Whistleblower Edward Snowden has given this year's Alternative Christmas Message on Channel 4.
He follows figures such as Ali G, Sharon Osbourne and Baroness Lawrence in giving the festive address which is the station's answer to the Queen's message to the nation.
Snowden, who revealed the mass surveillance programmes organised by the US and other governments, discussed the importance of privacy.
The controversial figure argued that mass indiscriminate surveillance by governments of their people is wrong.
He said: “Great Britain’s George Orwell warned us of the danger of this kind of information.
"The types of collection in the book – microphones and video cameras, TVs that watch us are nothing compared to what we have available today.
"We have sensors in our pockets that track us everywhere we go. Think about what this means for the privacy of the average person."
