McClatchy: Obama’s crackdown views leaks as aiding enemies of U.S.

[Winehole23]

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 su ions.

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 la ude to pursue and penalize a range of other conduct.


Government do ents reviewed by McClatchy illustrate how some agencies are using that la ude 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.


“Hammer this fact home . . . leaking is tantamount to aiding the enemies of the United States,” says a June 1, 2012, Defense Department strategy for the program that was obtained by McClatchy.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/06/2...l#.UcnLOpy2-7S

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/06/2...#storylink=cpy

[boutons_deux]

Bombs : Government’s 'Insider Threat Program' Obligates Federal Workers to Spy on Their Colleagues


the existence of the Obama administration’s program that obligates government workers to spy on their colleagues or face punishment, dismissal, and possibly criminal charges. The Insider Threat Program targets not only national security departments and agencies but most federal bureacracies from the Peace Corps to the Social Security Administration and the Education and Agriculture Departments.

And it’s clear that not only the disclosure of classified information cons utes an “internal threat” and act of espionage, but leaks to the media as well. “Leaking is tantamount to aiding the enemies of the United States,” according to a June 1 Department of Defense planning do ent for the program, leaked to McClatchy.

The White House launched the Insider Threat Program’s in October 2011 as it still reeled from the Wikileaks disclosures of hundreds of thousands of do ents thought to have been downloaded from classified networks by Private Bradley Manning the year before. The program is evolving, agency to agency, in response to the President’s broad guidelines. Do ents provided by the McClatchy investigation show the varied approaches to the executive mandate. At the DoD, McClatchy reports, the policy is “zero tolerance”: “Employees must turn themselves and others in for failing to report breaches.” But it’s the su ion of potential breaches that must be reported. requiring co-workers to monitor colleagues’ work and lives. Profiling is encouraged: A co-worker facing a divorce or financial problems is to be watched carefully one training memo states, as these are “indicators” of an inclination toward espionage. An extensive Army training do ent offers hundreds of su ious behaviors that federal workers must report including working hard and independently: ”repeatedly performing non required work outside of normal duty hours, especially if unaccompanied."
At the Department of Agriculture, “Treason 101” offers an online tutorial in the basics of spying and the Inside Espionage Threat.

The two-year-old program is now expected to be revved up in the wake of Edward Snowden’s explosive revelation of the National Security Agency’s telephone and internet data collection programs. But according to internal security experts and former government officials that the McClatchy team interviewed, the Insider Threat Program will have “grave consequences for the public’s right to know.” It could make it easier for the government to inhibit exposure of unclassified information and illegal programs and thwart legitimate whistleblowing. The program will be used to quell different perspectives, which in the end can hurt national security, they fear. Fearfulness and group think contributed to the prevailing and erroneous CIA judgment that Iraq indeed had weapons of mass destruction, warranting invasion.

http://www.alternet.org/civil-libert...kers-spy-their

[angrydude]

Who are the enemies of the United States?

We're allying with Al Queda in Syria. Handing Afghanistan over to the taliban. And spying on Americans. go figure

[boutons_deux]

I'd like to see, but never will, the US govt spying on the entire corrupt criminal financial industry, plus paying minimum $1M to financial industry whistleblowers leading to trial, and whistleblowers geting 10% of any fines, penalties.

[Big Empty]

Im ok with it. As long as another 09/11 doesnt happen im ok with giving up a tiny bit of privacy. I have nothing to hide.

[boutons_deux]

Im ok with it. As long as another 09/11 doesnt happen im ok with giving up a tiny bit of privacy. I have nothing to hide.

FBI/NSA, with many $100Bs spent (wasted?) since 9/11, blew the leads from Russia and allowed the Boston marathon bombing.

[Bill_Brasky]

Im ok with it. As long as another 09/11 doesnt happen im ok with giving up a tiny bit of privacy. I have nothing to hide.

this at ude. Seriously.

[leemajors]

this at ude. Seriously.

Exactly.

[angrydude]

Im ok with it. As long as another 09/11 doesnt happen im ok with giving up a tiny bit of privacy. I have nothing to hide.

They HAD wired tapped the 9-11 hijackers.

We all know how well that turned out.

Oh wait, it turned out exactly as they wanted.

[SA210]

Who are the enemies of the United States?

We're allying with Al Queda in Syria. Handing Afghanistan over to the taliban. And spying on Americans. go figure

fake liberals will continue to keep ignoring that one

[Winehole23]

mentioned more than a few times here. you obviously don't read much.

[Winehole23]

you just have one or two things you say over and over again.

[Rogue]

Goddess once said the most embarrassing moment in her life was when she was on a plane someone opened the bathroom door while she was peeing, but it'll be replaced by this

as an representative of young americans? but how many young americans have 8-figure bank accounts? 50% of young americans are either unemployed or underemployed, and a good deal of the other half are fully employed at ty jobs (like my Jacob), so how could you represent them when you ain't even one of them?

As much as I like and respect my goddess, I gotta admit that she's a moron in politics, supporting a "president" who was not even born in the US mainland

[SA210]

mentioned more than a few times here.

Mostly by me

Funny how treason doesn't outrage you guys as much as it would under Bush lol

[SA210]

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Im ok with it. As long as another 09/11 doesnt happen im ok with giving up a tiny bit of privacy. I have nothing to hide.

Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one. -Ben

[SA210]

Who are the enemies of the United States?

We're allying with Al Queda in Syria. Handing Afghanistan over to the taliban.

[Winehole23]

Funny how treason doesn't outrage you guys as much as it would under Bush lol

that's one of your hobby horses for sure. sweet on your own glibness much?

[LnGrrrR]

This whole "punish leakers" thing is BS to me. I could see punishing someone that leaked specific military do ents that outlined TTP, or something along those lines. But when the leaker is exposing programs that the President has denied existing, he is exposing hypocrisy of our leaders. The American public, with very few exceptions, should have a right to know what's going on with their government, especially if it runs counter to what the President is claiming is going on.

[SA210]

that's one of your hobby horses for sure. sweet on your own glibness much?

Funny how treason doesn't outrage you guys as much as it would under Bush