I suspect Snowden has the data encrypted meaning that copies are not of much use anyone without the key. If you are suggesting that Snowden gave up the encryption keys to Russia or China, that is a very serious accusation without any proof behind it.
It would also undermine everything Snowden has done so far, so unless they tortured him or he is completely insane I seriously doubt he did that.
To be clear, I'm not saying that he's given out the keys to any country. However, I'm not sure that really matters right now.
Realistically, the data in there probably isn't all that time-sensitive. It's not like we're in an active war with Russia and Snowden took copies of an upcoming US invasion plan with him there. In that case, two things would matter: if the Russians had the data, and whether they had cracked the encryption. However, in this case, the data Snowden has is useful as a general "What do they know" exercise. This is data that will remain interesting for the Russians and Chinese even if it takes months to crack. So, at this point, it is a problem for the US if the Russians are just in possession of it, even encrypted. It's just another bargaining chip that they have.
If Snowden is in Russia, and he has encrypted data, and he himself knows the decryption key... then I wouldn't have boundless confidence in a 29-year-old's ability to resist the persuasive power of the Russian 'deep security state' to obtain his keys.
Given amnesia- and compliance-inducing drugs, Snowden might not even be sure he's given up the goods... just wake up one morning a bit more groggy and 'jetlagged' than usual.
Why 29? Is it easier to resist persuasive measures when you are older or younger than 29? Seems pretty irrelevant to me.
I think it's fairly obvious Obama used "29 year old" to imply immaturity and chip away at his credibility thereby. (esp since he is 30 now, surprising how different "30 year old hacker" sounds than "29 year old hacker"..)
Snowden surely knows more about various aspects of spycraft and national-security-coercive-techniques than I and many other older people.... both from his Army training and later jobs. But still, extra awareness and wariness comes with age.
Holding other things constant, an older Snowden would be relatively more likely to have...
• ...known what kinds of tricks and pressures (including non-consensual drugged interrogation) he might be subjected to
• ...received official training, initial or refresher, in resistance
• ...planned well for worst-case outcomes, like not being able to stay above-ground in law-and-order Hong Kong, but rather winding up at the mercy of Russia
I don't know for sure whether in general, older or younger people are better at resisting interrogation. I suspect the 'dark arts' for coercing compliance have evolved over a longer term than any person's lifetime, and prey on any one person's limited experience, so I tend to think they'll work better with the younger... but it's an interesting question.
I do suspect an older person would be more likely to protect himself beforehand, for example by not traveling with the most truly US-interest-damaging data, or encrypting data with a better cipher, or even encrypting data in a way he couldn't, alone under coercion, decrypt.
It would also undermine everything Snowden has done so far, so unless they tortured him or he is completely insane I seriously doubt he did that.