OCCRP spoke to three people who have alerted the public to wrongdoing by the rich and powerful. They described an experience both traumatic and transformative, altering their lives in ways they could scarcely have imagined.

Whistleblowers Edward Snowden, Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning depicted in an art installation entitled “Anything to Say?” in an art installation outside the U.N. European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2015. (Credit: Pierre Albouy/Reuters)

British and American agencies have harvested encryption codes that allowed them to access the voice calls and messages of millions of mobile phone users around the world,The Intercept revealed Thursday.