NSA whistle-blower’s firm calls leak ‘shocking’

{mosads}Hours earlier, The Guardian posted a video confession from the 29-year-old Snowden, who took responsibility for the leaks of top-secret National Security Agency documents detailing extensive electronic surveillance programs.

“Booz Allen can confirm that Edward Snowden, 29, has been an employee of our firm for less than 3 months, assigned to a team in Hawaii,” the firm said. “We will work closely with our clients and authorities in their investigation of this matter.”

Snowden told the media outlet he had formerly worked for the CIA and held numerous other positions with contracting firms during his career.

During a taped interview from Hong Kong, Snowden said he had revealed the NSA’s secret phone and Internet surveillance programs because he objected to the agencies practices.

“I don’t want to live in a society that does these sort of things,” Snowden said. “I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded. That is not something I am willing to support or live under.”

Snowden is the source of reports from The Guardian disclosing the NSA’s massive phone tracking program which gathered data on phone numbers and the duration and location of calls made by Verizon customers. In a separate program, the NSA compelled tech companies to share data on foreign Internet users.