Latest news about Bitcoin and all cryptocurrencies. Your daily crypto news habit.
A U.S. district judge has ruled that former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden must turn over the proceeds of his new book to the U.S. government. According to the ruling, Snowden failed to obtain clearance for the materials and information used in his book. The same judge previously ruled against Kim Dotcom and Megaupload.
Also read: Regulatory Roundup: Crypto âInevitableâ in India, China Rankings, NY Streamlines Policy
Judge Rules US Government Entitled to Snowdenâs Book Proceeds
A judge in the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has ruled that the U.S. government is entitled to the proceeds Edward Snowden receives from his book because he failed to get approval to publish its contents as required by his employment contracts.
In his ruling, District Judge Liam OâGrady explained that Snowden signed agreements with the U.S. government requiring him to protect information and material of which he had knowledge from unauthorized disclosure. He is also required to submit for review any writings or other presentations he prepared related to intelligence data or protected information.
Snowden tweeted on Thursday in response to the ruling:
The government may steal a dollar, but it cannot erase the idea that earned it. I wrote this book, Permanent Record, for you, and I hope the governmentâs ruthless desperation to prevent its publication only inspires you read it â and then gift it to another.
The former U.S. intelligence contractor is now living in Russia to avoid arrest by U.S. authorities. He remains a fugitive from prosecution on federal criminal charges for alleged violations of the Espionage Act relating to his 2013 exposure of the NSAâs massive collection of phone and internet data. While the Justice Department is seeking to recover all proceeds Snowden has earned, CNBC reported on Thursday that the actual amount owed is likely to be decided later by Judge OâGrady.
Judge Says Snowden Needed Permission From NSA and CIA
Snowdenâs book called âPermanent Recordâ was published in the U.S. in September by Macmillan Publishing Group. Snowden, however, did not get clearance from any government agencies prior to the publication which is allegedly in violation of the agreements he signed with both the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). His book details the intelligence-gathering activities of the two agencies, including classified programs. It also describes how Snowden viewed himself as a whistleblower by revealing details about the governmentâs mass collection of emails, phone calls and internet activity in the name of national security.
In his ruling, Judge OâGrady affirmed that under the agreements, Snowden was required to allow the government to review anything he planned to publish containing any information or material known to be classified. He elaborated:
The terms of the CIA secrecy agreements further provide that Snowden forfeits any proceeds from disclosures that breach the agreements. These terms continue to apply to Snowden.
Snowdenâs Defense and Kim Dotcomâs Response
The lawyers representing Snowden argued that the government had already broken the secrecy agreements by indicating that it would not give his book a fair prepublication review. They additionally claim that the book contains no material that had not previously been made public. However, Judge OâGrady ruled that the secrecy agreements âare unambiguous and clear,â with âno genuine disputeâ that Snowden breached the agreements.
The judge also noted Snowdenâs argument that the suit âis based on animus toward his viewpoint,â with the government selectively enforcing secrecy agreements. Lastly, Snowden maintained that the agreements did not support the U.S. governmentâs claim against him.
OâGrady is also the judge in the extradition proceeding against Kim Dotcom relating to his now-defunct file storage service, Megaupload. Commenting on the ruling against Snowden, Dotcom tweeted:
Corrupt U.S. Judge Liam OâGrady, the former Disney lawyer who destroyed Megaupload without due process and declared me a fugitive and forfeited all my assets to the U.S. govt without trial, has just ruled that Snowdenâs book proceeds belong to the U.S. govt.
What do you think of the ruling that the U.S. government is entitled to proceeds from Snowdenâs book? Let us know in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock, Hollywood Reporter, and the New York Times.
Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The local.Bitcoin.com marketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here.
The post Judge Rules Snowden Must Give Book Proceeds to US Government appeared first on Bitcoin News.
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the views of Bitcoin Insider. Every investment and trading move involves risk - this is especially true for cryptocurrencies given their volatility. We strongly advise our readers to conduct their own research when making a decision.