Edward Snowden's New Job

Edward Snowden, the former CIA contractor who leaked National Security Agency documents about U.S. spying programs to the press, has landed a new job. Snowden, who has been labeled as a "whistleblower" by some and a "patriot" by others, will begin a tech support job for one of Russia's largest websites, according to his lawyer. Hey, dude's got to eat, right?

This job interview must've been just a tad bit awkward. This is how I picture it happening:

Interviewer: "So, Edward, tell me a bit about yourself."

Snowden: "Well, I like computers, karate ... and um, I'm also facing espionage charges in the U.S for exposing surveillance programs at the National Security Agency — the biggest leak since the Pentagon Papers."

Interviewer: "OK." (pauses) "Well, I think we're done here. Welcome aboard." (handshake)

Snowden will start his new gig Nov. 1, and his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena did not specify which website he'll be working for or any other details about the job. I'm only assuming he has pre-job jitters today, asking himself I wonder if they'll like me? or Do most people bring their lunch or go out to eat?

Snowden, who was granted asylum in August in Moscow after spending a month in limbo at the city's airport, probably has bigger things to worry about, though. According to a Washington Post report yesterday, based on Snowden's leaked documents, the NSA is responsible for infiltrating Google and Yahoo's data hubs to potentially glean information from millions of user accounts. Google says it is "troubled" by the report, and a Yahoo spokeswoman says the company had never given authorization of any kind to any government agency. The NSA claims it conducted no such collection.

The U.S. has also joined a lawsuit against United States Investigation Services (ISIS), the firm responsible for vetting Snowden. "While the lawsuit is not about the firm's review of Snowden, it alleges that USIS failed to perform quality control reviews in connection with its background investigations."