5 Shocking Controversies That Define Glenn Greenwald's Current Role On X (Late 2025)

Glenn Greenwald remains one of the most polarizing and influential voices in global journalism, consistently utilizing the X platform (formerly Twitter) as his primary battleground for debates on free speech, government overreach, and media bias. As of December 2025, his digital footprint is defined by a series of high-stakes controversies, ranging from an intensely personal breach of privacy to a constitutional showdown in his adopted home of Brazil.

The veteran journalist and constitutional lawyer, known globally for breaking the Edward Snowden revelations, has cemented his status as a relentless critic of institutional power, a role that has placed him at the center of two major, defining conflicts this year: a battle with Brazilian judicial authorities over the blocking of X and a highly publicized, politically-motivated leak of his private videos. These events prove that Greenwald’s commitment to radical transparency often comes at a steep personal and professional cost.

Glenn Greenwald: A Brief Biography and Career Timeline

Glenn Edward Greenwald is an American journalist, author, and former constitutional lawyer whose career has been marked by a fierce defense of civil liberties and a deep skepticism of state power.

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• Born: March 6, 1967, in Queens, New York, U.S.
• Education: Graduated from George Washington University with a B.A. in Philosophy (1990) and from New York University School of Law (1994).
• Early Career: Worked as a constitutional and civil rights lawyer, challenging government surveillance and advocating for due process.
• The Snowden Revelations: Achieved global fame in 2013 for publishing a series of detailed reports in The Guardian based on classified documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. These reports exposed the vast scope of global surveillance programs by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA).
• The Intercept: Co-founded The Intercept in 2014, a digital magazine focused on adversarial journalism, alongside Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill. He later resigned in 2020, citing editorial censorship.
• The Intercept Brasil: As a co-founding editor, he led the team that published the "Vaza Jato" (Operation Car Wash) leaks in 2019, exposing leaked conversations between senior Brazilian officials, which sparked a major corruption scandal in Brazil.
• Current Role: He is now an independent journalist, author, and host of the political commentary show "System Update" on Rumble and Substack, maintaining a massive, highly active presence on the X platform.

The May 2025 Leak: Greenwald's Response to 'Maliciously Political' Attacks

In a deeply personal turn of events this year, Glenn Greenwald became the target of a privacy breach that he immediately categorized as a politically motivated attack. In May 2025, videos showing Greenwald in intimate, private settings were leaked online without his knowledge or consent.

Greenwald quickly addressed the situation on X, confirming the authenticity of the videos but condemning the act as a "maliciously political" attempt to intimidate and silence him. This incident highlighted the extreme lengths to which his political opponents might go, attempting to weaponize private information to discredit his public journalism.

The journalist's immediate and defiant response—framing the leak as a political tactic—shifted the narrative from a personal scandal to a free speech issue. He argued that the tactic was designed to punish him for his adversarial reporting, particularly his critiques of powerful political and judicial figures in Brazil. This controversy, while deeply personal, became another flashpoint in his career-long defense of privacy and a free press, ironically proving the very point he often makes about the dangers of unchecked power and surveillance.

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The Free Speech War in Brazil: Greenwald, Elon Musk, and the STF

The most significant political controversy currently dominating Greenwald’s X feed is the escalating conflict over free speech in Brazil, an issue he is uniquely positioned to address as a resident of the country. This conflict pits the global social media platform X, led by owner Elon Musk, against Brazil’s powerful judiciary, specifically Supreme Tribunal Federal (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes. [cite: 12, 13 from step 1, 2 from step 2]

Greenwald has emerged as a key voice in the international condemnation of Moraes’s actions, which have included ordering the blocking of X in Brazil and demanding the removal of accounts deemed to be spreading "disinformation." [cite: 6, 8 from step 2]

Accusations of Judicial Abuse of Power

Throughout 2025, Greenwald has repeatedly and vehemently accused Justice Alexandre de Moraes of "abusing the powers" of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) and the STF. [cite: 1, 3, 4 from step 2] He has characterized Moraes’s actions as "tyrannical" and a blatant violation of Brazil's constitutional guarantees of free expression. [cite: 9 from step 2]

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The core of Greenwald’s argument is that the judiciary is overstepping its bounds by censoring political speech and ordering the arrest or investigation of critics without proper legal justification. His position aligns him with Elon Musk, who has also openly challenged Moraes and called for the judge’s impeachment, further escalating the global profile of the dispute. [cite: 12 from step 1]

The Global Context of Censorship

The journalist has used his platform on X and his show, "System Update," to connect the Brazilian situation to a broader, global crackdown on digital speech. He has drawn parallels between the judicial orders against X and the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov, arguing that governments worldwide are increasingly using the pretext of fighting "disinformation" to suppress dissent and political opposition. [cite: 5, 6 from step 2]

Greenwald’s commentary serves as a critical bridge, translating the complex legal and political maneuvering in Brazil into a clear, compelling narrative for an international audience. His deep knowledge of both American constitutional law and Brazilian politics makes him an essential, albeit controversial, figure in this ongoing free speech debate.

Greenwald's Enduring Influence on X and Digital Media

Despite—or perhaps because of—the constant controversies, Greenwald’s presence on X remains extraordinarily powerful. The platform has become the central hub for his independent journalism, allowing him to bypass traditional media gatekeepers and speak directly to millions of followers.

His posts on X are characterized by an uncompromising, non-partisan critique of power, whether it comes from the U.S. "Deep State," the Brazilian judiciary, or mainstream media outlets he accuses of groupthink. This approach has earned him both a devoted following and a long list of powerful enemies.

The combination of his high-profile Snowden history, his critical stance on the war in Ukraine, his defense of Julian Assange, and his latest battles against judicial censorship in Brazil ensures that every post he makes is a potential headline. Greenwald’s recent experiences, particularly the personal leak, have only reinforced his commitment to exposing what he views as the corrupt and authoritarian tendencies of established institutions, making his X feed a mandatory stop for anyone tracking the front lines of the global information war.