The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing former CIA and NSA contractor Edward Snowden over his new book, Permanent Record, because Snowden allegedly violated non-disclose agreements he signed with the two intelligence agencies that employed him in the past.
The DOJ aims to ensure that Snowden will not earn a single penny from the book because, in the words of assistant attorney general Jody Hunt, the government “will not permit individuals to enrich themselves, at the expense of the United States, without complying with their pre-publication review obligations.”
In 2013 Snowden leaked thousands of classified government records exposing secret mass surveillance programs set up after 9/11. Snowden’s critics have called him a traitor and a spy, while privacy advocates have hailed him as a whistleblower revealing unethical government practices. Snowden, who has been living in Russia since 2013, recently stated that he would like to return to the US but only if he will get a fair trial.
