The US government has filed a lawsuit against Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee and National Security, demanding that he not be paid for the book he published entitled "Permanent Record".
The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Virginia. According to it, Snowden had signed some agreements while working for the US intelligence agencies. These agreements concerned the non-disclosure of important national information. However, the US government accuses Snowden of violating the agreements and for this reason it filed a lawsuit.
“The United States today filed a lawsuit against Edward Snowden, a former employee of the CIA and the National Security Agency ( NSA ), alleging that he published a book titled “Permanent Record” in violation of agreements he had signed with both the CIA and the NSA,” the Justice Department press release states
Snowden is accused of publishing his book without first checking it with the agencieshe had worked with. In addition to the book, Snowden has spoken publicly about agency issues, which also violates the agreements he had signed.
According to those agreements, for any publication, book publication, etc., a check by the intelligence services is required (before publication) to ensure that no important information is made public.
“Intelligence agencies should protect our nation, not think about personal gain,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S.. “This lawsuit will ensure that Edward Snowden does not benefit financially because he did not appreciate the trust placed in him.”
Edward Snowden's book, "Permanent Record," was released on September 17 and details the author's life and work in intelligence agencies. For example, it details the design of the Prism surveillance system.
The Justice Department is seeking to recover all of Snowden's proceeds, not to prevent the book from being released. It is doing so as punishment for Snowden's failure to submit the book for review before releasing it publicly, in violation of the agreements he had signed.
A lawsuit was also filed against the book's publisher to prevent it from giving the profits to Snowden.
“The United States’ ability to protect national security information relies on employees and executives’ compliance with nondisclosure agreements, including their obligations to review prior to any publication,” a Justice Department spokesperson said.
The Department of Justice wants to emphasize that it will not tolerate such behavior from individuals it has placed its trust in. Furthermore, it will not allow anyone to enrich themselves at the expense of the United States by violating its agreements.
Edward Snowden has been living in Russia for six years, after leaking information about the U.S. He recently requested asylum from the French government.
