The ‘Insider Threat Program’, is an anti-whistleblower protocol created by the Obama administration, a program that seeks to crackdown on those looking to expose unjust practices by government agencies. The program mandates that employee’s spy on each other or risk being charged for not detecting a leaker…
The Insider Threat Program was created in 2011, shortly after Army Pfc. Bradley Manning shared sensitive information to WikiLeaks, information that asserted the U.S. committed crimes while at war. The program as it is stated, can charge anyone with “espionage” that leaks to media operations. This will no doubt produce a chilling effect on whistleblowers everywhere.
Is the White House waging a war on reality, effectively keeping the truth on ice?
More “see something, say something” authoritarian rhetoric, quietly shutting down constitutional guarantees.
These security revelations come on heels of the NSA document drop by intelligence operative Edward Snowden. It remains to be seen how these leaks will affect national security:
Even before a former U.S. intelligence contractor exposed the secret collection of Americans’ phone records, the Obama administration was pressing a government-wide crackdown on security threats that requires federal employees to keep closer tabs on their co-workers and exhorts managers to punish those who fail to report their suspicions.
President Barack Obama’s unprecedented initiative, known as the Insider Threat Program, is sweeping in its reach. It has received scant public attention even though it extends beyond the U.S. national security bureaucracies to most federal departments and agencies nationwide, including the Peace Corps, the Social Security Administration and the Education and Agriculture departments. It emphasizes leaks of classified material, but catchall definitions of “insider threat” give agencies latitude to pursue and penalize a range of other conduct.
Government documents reviewed by McClatchy illustrate how some agencies are using that latitude to pursue unauthorized disclosures of any information, not just classified material. They also show how millions of federal employees and contractors must watch for “high-risk persons or behaviors” among co-workers and could face penalties, including criminal charges, for failing to report them. Leaks to the media are equated with espionage… (See Marisa Taylor and Jonathan S. Landay, McClatchy News, June 23, 2013)
