Snowden said to have downloaded NSA documents at 2nd firm

Leaker Edward Snowden downloaded National Security Agency documents while he was a contractor for Dell Inc. in April 2012, almost a year before he downloaded the documents while at Booz Allen Hamilton that turned into The Guardian’s explosive reports on government surveillance. 

{mosads}According to a Reuters report released on Thursday, Dell has confirmed that Snowden left an electronic footprint that proves he accessed classified NSA documents while a contractor for the company from 2009 until earlier this year.

Reuters is reporting that while at Dell, Snowden downloaded NSA documents related to “NSA collection from fiber-optic cables, including transoceanic cables, of large quantities of internet traffic and other communications.”

After Dell, Snowden worked for Booz Allen from March 2013 until June, when the stories, based on the documents he obtained, broke.

Snowden’s time at Booz Allen has received the bulk of the media attention. He has said he went to work for Booz Allen with the specific intent of gaining access to the NSA information he sought.

Lawmakers have since pledged to review how agencies with federal contracts conduct background checks and extend offers of employment to individuals.

Earlier this month, the Russian government granted Snowden temporary asylum. The U.S. government wants Snowden sent back to face trial on espionage charges.