He has only spoken on matters that have already been widely reported. Meanwhile, the US civil rights organization, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), has argued that the lawsuit is without basis, as Snowden has not divulged any official secrets. The government, in a statement, has also added that Snowden’s past comments and addresses to the media, along with his previous book published in 2013, Everything You Know About The Constitution Is Wrong, are also in violation of the agreements he signed.
The lawsuit also includes as “nominal defendants”, the publishing company Macmillan and the distribution agencies. Snowden has argued that while he signed the secrecy clauses, he also took an oath to protect the constitution and intends to abide by it.Īccording to the lawsuit, Snowden is expected to submit any material that he intends to publish to the relevant intelligence agencies for review, as he is still bound by the non-disclosure agreements despite the termination of his contract. The US Department of Justice’s case is based on non-disclosure agreements signed by him as the terms of his employment at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and as a sub-contractee for the National Security Agency. “We will not permit individuals to enrich themselves, at the expense of the United States, without complying with their pre-publication review obligations.Barely within a day of the release of Edward Snowden’s much awaited memoir, Permanent Record, a lawsuit was filed by the United States government against him on September 17, demanding as damages, all the proceeds earned from the sale of the book. “The United States’ ability to protect sensitive national security information depends on employees’ and contractors’ compliance with their non-disclosure agreements, including their pre-publication review obligations,” Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt said in a statement. He now lives in Russia in order to avoid arrest. Snowden was charged under the US Espionage Act. But the government continues to insist that facts that are known and discussed throughout the world are still somehow classified.” He added, “Had Mr Snowden believed that the government would review his book in good faith, he would have submitted it for review.
This is the book the government does not want you to read.”īen Wizner, Snowden’s attorney and director of the American Civil Liberties’ Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, said the memoir “contains no government secrets that have not been previously published by respected news organisations”.
Snowden on Tuesday tweeted a link to his book on Twitter, saying, “the government of the United States has just announced a lawsuit over my memoir, which was just released worldwide.
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