US government is suing NSA whistleblower Snowden

The Department of Justice is suing former NSA contractor Edward Snowden over his new memoir which was published this week, because they believe it violates non-disclosure agreements.

Mr Snowden had been labelled the world’s ‘most famous whistleblower’ after he leaked secret documents about mass surveillance being conducted by intelligence agencies, in cooperation with telecommunication companies.

The US government alleges that Mr Snowden’s book, Permanent Record, breaches non-disclosure agreements as it was not submitted for ‘pre-publication review’, something which he had agreed to do ‘under agreements he signed’.

In the book, Snowden sets out why he made the decision to leak sensitive documents and what he learnt about government surveillance from his time with the NSA.

Snowden’s lawyer Ben Wizer, said the memoirs ‘contain no government secrets that have not been previously published by respected news organisations’.

Mr Wizer said in a statement: ‘Had Mr. Snowden believed that the government would review his book in good faith, he would have submitted it for review.

‘But the government continues to insist that facts that are known and discussed throughout the world are still somehow classified.’

The suit filed against Mr Snowden does not seek to block publication of the book, but instead to recover ‘all proceeds’ from it.

In a tweet, Snowden said it is ‘hard to think of a greater stamp of authenticity than the US government filing a lawsuit claiming your book is so truthful that it was literally against the law to write.’

Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt said in a statement: ‘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.

‘We will not permit individuals to enrich themselves, at the expense of the United States, without complying with their pre-publication review obligations.’

Snowden was charged under the U.S. Espionage Act. He now lives in Russia in order to avoid arrest.