Intelligence Contractors like Snowden Excluded from Whistleblower Protections

June 12, 2013

Even as whistleblower protections have expanded, intelligence contractors like National Security Agency (NSA) leaker Edward Snowden are left out in the cold, according to an article in the International Business Times.

Edward Snowden leaked highly classified information about a secret intelligence gathering program at the NSA while working for intelligence contracting giant Booz Allen Hamilton.

The 2012 Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act expanded and strengthened protections for many federal workers, but it specifically excluded intelligence community employees. A Public Policy Directive from President Obama sought to extend protections specifically to the national security committee, but it again left out contractors.

The article quoted POGO Public Policy Director Angela Canterbury on why this lack of whistleblower protections may have caused Snowden to go public with his information.

The ramification [of excluding intelligence contractors] is that a whistle-blower in their right mind would make a public disclosure if they wanted [bring attention] to wrongdoing because blowing the whistle internally would be very dangerous for their careers.

In the case of Snowden, he calculated that his career was over in any case. I’m sure that internal whistle-blowing was not high on the list of ways to get accountability to the issue.

Read more at the International Business Times.

Topics: Whistleblower Protections

Related Content: Intelligence

Authors: Andre Francisco

Submitted by Tristanbird at: June 21, 2013

It is far too soon too tell whether the U.S. government did something smart, and, perhaps, Snowden, is actually working for the Govenment, to confirm what all too many have been saying about the all too-numerous rapine contractors which infect the body politic from the NSA to DOJ to SEC(ahem--having publicly traded company contractors do work for an Agency that oversees--publicily traded companies.) Or: the U.S. Government, aided by an uninformed and indifferent citizenry, continues to outsource to anyone,i.e. entrusting a "high school dropout" with the most sensitive information. If the latter, I have no sympathy for the bureaucrats, politicians, or fellow citizens who let this happen, especially during wartime. Long live the Union (Inc.?)!

Submitted by palmer1619 at: June 13, 2013

Snowden chose the wrong job. He should have run for vice president. It would give him the ultimate protections.

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