The Perils of Whistleblowing: My Interview With Edward Snowden – Entrepreneur

In 2013, Edward Snowdens life -- and the world -- changed forever. This former NSA contractor blew the whistle on the agencys practice of collecting private information and conducting mass surveillance on citizens when he brought evidence to the press and then left the country.

In a video chat moderated by Secret Knock conference organizerGreg S. Reid, I was able to ask him a question directly. "Do you have any regrets?" I asked.

My mission was never to change the world, he said.My mission was to return public information to public hands so you could determine whether things should change.... I regret only that I did not do more -- sooner and bolder."

In part, Snowden hoped his actions would embolden others to step forward when they saw wrongdoing. While the majority of us will never be called on to report anything of comparable national or global scale, you may be one day called on to speak up. In a 2011 poll, 45 percent of American workers stated that they had observed wrongdoing in the workplace. Whether you're a business owner or an employee, here are my suggestions, coupled with Snowden's experience, on how to stop being a passive observer and become a safe whistleblower.

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The line between a whistleblower and a leaker is fine and hotly debated. The general distinguishing mark tends to be the avenues taken to release information to the public. Whistleblowers are those who follow legally established procedures for exposing wrongdoing; they work within the system, reporting to the proper authorities so that matters can be handled internally. The leaker is one who bypasses the system altogether and goes directly to the press. The former is protected and guided by law; the latter is not.

To this day, Snowden maintains he did everything he could to work within the system. I still made tremendous efforts to report these programs to co-workers, supervisors, and anyone with the proper clearance who would listen, he said in a 2014 live Q&A. The reactions of those I told about the scale of the constitutional violations ranged from deeply concerned to appalled, but no one was willing to risk their jobs, families, and possibly even freedom to go to through what [Thomas] Drake did.

It was only after facing this internal resistance that he turned to journalists to help get his message out. Even then, he was careful. As a condition of access to archive, I required journalists to go to the government in advance and tell them what they were going to be writing so the government had a chance for rebuttal, he said. In every case, process has been followed.

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For those who would follow Snowdens example, the single greatest obstacle is fear. Snowdens colleagues were intimidated by the example of Thomas Drake, former NSA executive who revealed unethical acts committed by the NSA and subsequently endured raids by the FBI and prolonged prosecution. Similar examples are often enough to deter any would-be whistleblower.

The greatest threat to fear is knowledge. Take time to investigate whistleblower protection programs. Research and understand your rights. Identify those groups that can support you while working.

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Protection aside, once youve blown the whistle, youre in for a rough ride. Snowden had no misunderstandings. Though he never intended to end up in Russia, he did expect to end up in a jumpsuit in Guantanamo Bay. He understood that calling attention would mean an end of his life as hed been living it. I realized I had to come forward, light a match, burn my life to the ground if this was really going to work.

As Snowdens case has demonstrated, whistleblowing isnt as simple as identifying a problem and accepting a reward. Be ready for backlash from within and without your organization as you stand by your principles. Since 2009, retaliation has increased 83 percent, while whistleblowing incidents have only increased by 12 percent.

If youre not willing to be called bad names, . . . you dont really believe in anything that much, he says. Being criticized is the price of admission for achieving change. The most common thing in the world of politics is that change is never comfortable.

Intimidation isnt the only route that businesses and governments will take to silence whistleblowers. Many will offer hush money, effectively turning you from an opponent into an accomplice. Dont take that risk. Too many examples show when the coverup is revealed, both the company and the silenced party are worse off.

On the one hand, hotlines are a powerful asset. Calls are made and recorded are proof the employee has performed their due diligence in reporting wrongdoing.

On the other hand, the hotline is a conflict of interest on the companys part. In his book, The Whistleblowers Handbook, Stephen Kohn advises caution. Hotline programs are under no duty to help whistleblowers, Kohn writes. They are voluntary programs, and the nature and extent of their investigations are outside of the control of the employee. There is no requirement that these programs offer employees complete or accurate information about their legal rights. In other words, the programs exist for the benefit of the government/corporation; they are not legal service programs for whistleblowers.

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When asked, Snowden said he only regrets how long it took him to come forward.

I would do it again, he said. Despite everything that has happened to him, he believes firmly that the good in the world outweighs the bad. Investigation incited by Snowdens revelations revealed that the NSAs mass surveillance tactics had done nothing to stop terror attacks. Despite condemning Snowdens actions in his State of the Union address, President Obama called for reform within the NSA and Congress. None of that would have happened if Snowden hadnt taken the risk and come forward.

Amy Osmond Cook, Ph.D., is the CEO of Osmond Marketing. She enjoys reading business books, playing the violin and trying new restaurants with her husband and five children. Follow her at @amyocook.

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The Perils of Whistleblowing: My Interview With Edward Snowden - Entrepreneur