Snowden Sued by DOJ: Book Profits Seized Over Leaks

Posted: September 18, 2019 to News.

Tags: Compliance, Data Breach, Malware

The Justice Department is suing Edward Snowden and his publisher MacMillan and Holtzbrinck. Snowden, a former contractor for the CIA and NSA government agencies, released his book Permanent Record today. The Justice Department says that Snowden failed to “clear” the book with them, and they are now attempting to recover “all proceeds earned by Snowden because of his failure to submit his publication for pre-publication review in violation of his alleged contractual and fiduciary obligations.” The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in eastern Virginia. This is a completely separate suit than the criminal case related to Snowden’s alleged disclosures of classified information. In 2013, Snowden made headlines worldwide when he fled the U.S. and leaked top-secret information about NSA's global and domestic surveillance activities. He has been living in Russia ever since. The suit claims that the book (and other public speaking engagements regarding the book) is in violation of non-disclosure agreements that Snowden signed with both the CIA and NSA agencies. Interestingly enough, there is no move to ban the book or restrict its sales. Instead the U.S. “is suing the publisher solely to ensure that no funds are transferred to Snowden, or at his direction, while the court resolves the United States’ claims.”

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Craig Petronella

CEO, Founder & AI Architect, Petronella Technology Group

Craig Petronella founded Petronella Technology Group in 2002 and has spent more than 30 years working at the intersection of cybersecurity, AI, compliance, and digital forensics. He holds the CMMC Registered Practitioner credential (RP-1372) issued by the Cyber AB, is an NC Licensed Digital Forensics Examiner (License #604180-DFE), and completed MIT Professional Education programs in AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity. Craig also holds CompTIA Security+, CCNA, and Hyperledger certifications.

He is an Amazon #1 Best-Selling Author of 15+ books on cybersecurity and compliance, host of the Encrypted Ambition podcast (95+ episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon), and a cybersecurity keynote speaker with 200+ engagements at conferences, law firms, and corporate boardrooms. Craig serves as Contributing Editor for Cybersecurity at NC Triangle Attorney at Law Magazine and is a guest lecturer at NCCU School of Law. He has served as a digital forensics expert witness in federal and state court cases involving cybercrime, cryptocurrency fraud, SIM-swap attacks, and data breaches.

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Snowden Sued by DOJ: Book Profits Seized Over Leaks

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