Skip to main content

Edward Snowden made a joke! The NSA leaker recommends a great password to John Oliver

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Edward Snowden on Passwords
Most people’s passwords are laughably bad and remarkably easy for computers and hackers to crack in matter of seconds. On Last Week Tonight, John Oliver asked NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden for advice on choosing the best new password for his accounts.
Recommended Videos

Most of Oliver’s suggestions had Snowden in near giggles, especially gems like “passwerd” and “onetwothreefour,” both of which, Oliver points out, are clever because the first one is misspelled and the second one is numbers written out. Snowden points out that eight-character passwords are always easy to figure out, so neither of Oliver’s brilliant suggestions would work too well.

The comedian then suggested “limpbuiscuit4eva,” which combines a correctly spelled name with a misspelled word and a number. Snowden was not impressed, so Oliver went all out with his best password idea: “admiralalonzoghostpenis420YOLO.” Snowden cracked a smile for that one, and said it would get his stamp of approval. Of course, now all of America knows that password, so Oliver can’t use it — much to his dismay.

Finally, Oliver gave up and asked Snowden for his best recommendation. The NSA leaker, who is typically considered somewhat shy and occasionally dry to those who aren’t riveted by the debate, came up with a password that was tailor-made for Oliver: “margaretthatcheris110%SEXY.” He said it with the most perfect poker face and not a single trace of irony, proving that if this whole being an internationally wanted man doesn’t work out, Snowden would make an excellent straight man in thoughtful comedy routines.

Oliver, was naturally thrilled by the idea of calling Thatcher sexy in his passwords. After all, what proper Brit wouldn’t love to have such an absurd and patriotic password?

Malarie Gokey
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Mobile Editor, Malarie runs the Mobile and Wearables sections, which cover smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and…
I record interviews for work. These are my favorite free recorder apps
The iPhone 14 Pro and Google Pixel 7 Pro's voice recording apps running together.

The Voice Recorder app on a phone (left) and the Voice Memos on another phone Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Before you head to the app store on your phone to buy a voice-recording app, take a moment to consider the apps that may already be installed on your phone. Why? In my experience, they're likely all you really need. I’ve recorded interviews and voice-overs for work for years, and I’ve found the two best examples come preinstalled on your phone already, so they’re entirely free to use.

Read more
The best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 cases: 10 best ones so far
Two Galaxy Z Fold 5 phones next to each other -- one is open and one is closed.

Samsung’s next-generation foldable is here with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. This iteration has some notable improvements, including a new hinge design that eliminates the gap from previous generations when the device was folded. You also get a 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the outside while having a 6.7-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the inside, with both screens having a 120Hz refresh rate. In other words, they're about as nice as you could ask for.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is made with premium materials, and the triple-lens camera system packs in a 50MP main shooter, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide lens. There’s a 10MP selfie camera on the front cover, and a 4MP camera on the inner display. You also get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip inside for the best performance and power efficiency.

Read more
Google Pixel Tablet just got its first big discount and it’s worth a look
Google Pixel Tablet on its charging dock.

Tablets are a dime-a-dozen these days, with offerings from all the great brands including Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, and more. So, if you really want to stand out in a sea of similar tech, you need to do things a little differently. That's what Google's Pixel Tablet offers. How? It comes with a unique speaker dock that can be used to both charge the device and offer room-filling sound -- almost like a smart speaker add-on. Better yet, when your Pixel Tablet is docked it benefits from the Hub Mode, turning the device into a smart display, with digital photo frame support, smart home controls, and hands-free Google functionality. Of course, it could set you back at full price, normally $499 unless you find it included in a roundup of the best Google Pixel deals. Well, guess what? Thanks to a Best Buy Google Pixel Tablet deal, you can get it today for $439 and save $60. Hurry, though, it's part of Best Buy's recent 48-hour sale so it won't stick around for long.

Why you should buy the Google Pixel Tablet
Okay, okay, so in our Google Pixel Tablet review, Joe Maring did give it less than stellar remarks, but he called out its reliable fingerprint sensor, comfortability during use and excellent speaker dock. Honestly, how many tablets come with a matching speaker dock that transforms the entire experience? This tablet also marks a "lot of firsts" for Google, as it's the first tablet from the company in nearly five years, the first Android tablet in eight years, and can be converted into a smart home display with the speaker dock. All of which are notable milestones.

Read more