investigation. In 2006, the government learned these background

36 | HOW AMERICA LOST ITS SECRETS investigation. In 2006, the government learned these background checks were often prematurely ended. In Snowden’s case, because the CIA did not share its files with a private concern, USIS did not have access to Snowden’s CIA files, and it therefore did not learn about the threatened security investigation. Nor did it learn from the Internet, where he always employed an alias, that he was a dis- gruntled employee. So Snowden’s new clearance was approved in the summer of 2011, allowing him to continue working for Dell on secret intelligence projects. Meanwhile, in August 2011, Mills began her own blog titled L’s Journey. In it, she described herself as “a world-traveling pole- dancing super hero.” Many of her posted pictures were provocative poses of herself in her underwear and various states of undress. She wrote, “I’ve always wanted to be splashed on the cover of magazines, with my best air-brushed look.” Her wish would be gratified two years later in a way she likely did not anticipate. For his part, Snowden seemed happy to encourage her fantasy about being a superhero. He even gave her a Star Trek—inspired head © visor. Despite all the concerns he voiced about privacy, he did not © seem to mind her provocative posts. On the contrary, he took pho- tographs of her, telling her at one point that her photographs were not “sexy” enough. Snowden was soon offered a new position by Dell at the NSA’s Kunia regional base in Hawaii. Dell, which was in the process of expanding its government consulting business, wanted him to be a system administrator on the NSA’s backup system. The NSA needed this system before it could upgrade new security protocols that would audit suspicious activity in real time. In Hawaii, as in Japan, system administrators still worked alone. Snowden knew from his experience in Japan that this solo work in an unaudited workplace provided an opportunity for a system administrator to steal docu- ments. So he might also have realized that as a solo system admin- istrator in Hawaii, he would have this opportunity. Whether this was on his mind or not, on March 15, 2012, he accepted this offer. Dell agreed to pay all his relocation expenses and provide him with a housing allowance. He found a 1,559-square-foot house in Oahu, located at 94-1044 | | Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.z.indd 36 ® 9/29/16 5:51 Pa | | HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019524