White House proposes NDAs for federal workers to crack down on leaks to journalists

A draft nondisclosure agreement from the Office of Personnel Management would be used by federal agencies for new and existing employees. The agreement would allow the government to seek civil and criminal penalties against employees who violate confidentiality obligations. The government would also be entitled to royalties that employees receive from disclosures that breach the agreement. Former employees would need written permission from an authorized agency official to speak to journalists about information the administration deems confidential after leaving their jobs. Violations by former employees could also trigger civil and criminal penalties. The agreement would not cover disclosures protected by federal law when employees report fraud, abuse, or misconduct to internal watchdogs and Congress.

"The office of personnel management (OPM), the human resources office for the US government, released a draft nondisclosure agreement designed for federal agencies to use with new and existing employees. Under the draft agreement, the administration could pursue civil and criminal penalties against employees who violate it. The US government would be entitled to all royalties that employees receive from disclosing information that violates the agreement, according to the draft. The OPM did not immediately offer further explanation."

"Former government employees would need written permission from an authorized agency official to speak to journalists about information the Trump administration deems confidential after leaving their jobs, according to the draft. Former employees who violate that rule could be subject to civil and criminal penalties. Federal law prohibits government retaliation against federal workers who disclose fraud, abuse and misconduct in their workplaces to internal government watchdogs and Congress. The NDA would not apply to those disclosures, according to the draft agreement."

"This move is rooted in concerns that unauthorized disclosures of sensitive government information are disrupting agency operations and eroding trust across government, said an OPM spokesperson, McLaurine Pinover, in an email to Reuters. The draft form is the latest step in the president's effort to exert more control over US government workers and the flow of information to the public."

Read at www.theguardian.com