As shown above, internet privacy and security is an expanding crisis in the United States. While this issue is prominent, stating the problem is pointless without suggesting solutions.
While, Theranos has appeared recently in the news and is definitely a sign that whistleblowers are needed and companies are still willing to bend the rules with complete disregard of the consequences, which are much larger than simply fines. The Worldcom whistleblower case is incredibly important because it is often viewed as one case that a whistleblower changed corporate America. The Worldcom case led to legislature changes and the creation of Sarbanes-Oxley Act and even the creation of many internal controls within corporate America's organizations. I think the Worldcom whistleblower was not only a positive for that business, which closing of a business can be a positive in the light of poor ethics, but the effects were a positive essentially for corporate America across the board.
It has become extremely easy to transmit information almost instantly without any possible way to censor it quickly enough to keep it out of the public eye. Edward Snowden is an extreme in many examples of people using technology to civilly disobey. Whistleblowers however have created a serious new issue as to whether or not their actions go beyond civil disobedience into the realm of treason. People like Chelsea Manning, who released hundreds of thousands of sensitive documents illegally, could be seen fairly easily as a traitor rather than someone trying to do the right thing. The real question with whistleblowers is whether or not they have gone beyond disobeying the law to posing a clear and present danger to the American people. In the case of Edward Snowden, most would say no. In the case of Chelsea Manning, the results are fairly
The message from these whistleblowers carries tremendous credibility as they’ve sacrificed lucrative, prestigious careers, along with risking their reputations and freedom. On the other hand, the government has demonstrated that these top secret programs are untrustworthy. After all,
There has been a lot of contention on the matter of spies and whistleblowers since the cold war to today. Recent acts of espionage have the public questioning government, on the acts it has taken with these widespread criminals. The practice or act of spying to discover military and political secrets of other nations can also be known as committing espionage. During the cold war many spies sought out secrets of other countries for military and political information.
In 2008 Matt DeHart was considered an honorable man and an excellent member of the National Guard. However, by 2014 the United States and Canadian governments had driven him to attempt suicide twice (Humphreys). The events that happened in those six years speak to a major problem and ongoing historical situation, namely is the treatment, or rather mistreatment, of whistleblowers. People who blow the whistle on the government, such as Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, and Matt DeHart, could be considered patriots for exposing villains in our own government. However, the government’s response is to attempt to kill them, to torture them, and to do everything in its power to make their lives miserable. I wish to illustrate this issue in modern day
In recent times the US government has been called out, on numerous occasions by whistle-blowers, about some of the secrets they are keeping from the public. “Leaking information is very dangerous. The Obama Administration has embarked on a war on
If an individual has access to the inner workings of the government and said individual does not agree with the process of the government due to it violating their own personal morals, and decides to distribute such information to rally support for their actions as well as against the government, which in doing so leads to the threat of even deaths of government operatives, start protests against the government, to change the process and to ensure it aligns with their moral code, can cause a very negative impact on the free society. As Jeffrey Toobin says "The American government, and its democracy, are flawed institutions. But our system offers legal options to disgruntled government employees and contractors. They can take advantage of federal whistle-blower laws; they can bring their complaints to Congress; they can try to protest within the institutions where they work." This emphasizes the importance of some secrets remain just that, secrets. If said secrets were common knowledge then they could be utilized to preform unconstitutional acts, even put lives of innocents in danger, for some effect or personal gain.This would remove the process of government and cause a form of free society to be ineffective and
There are countless times in history when individuals have stood up for what is right against those committing wrongdoings. Standing up against your country’s wrongdoings; however, is the ultimate form of morality. In the span of this nation, there are few individuals with enough courage to report illegal and unconstitutional acts committed by the government. These individuals are known as whistle blowers. In 2004, a US Justice Office attorney by the name of Thomas Tamm took action by making an anonymous call to the New York Times about illegal government activity. Tamm’s call took a lot of guts and let US citizens know that their privacy will always be protected by those who do what is right.
While reporting fraud on the government can be personally rewarding from a moral, ethical and financial standpoint, it can also be very difficult in terms of the stress and anxiety associated with standing up to powerful corporate interests. The decision to become a whistleblower can be a life-altering experience that was about to overtake General Motors. This could potentially have an adverse effect on the whistleblower’s employment, social activities, and other aspects of his or her life (McEldrew Young, 2016).
Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency (N.S.A) subcontractor turned whistle-blower is nothing short of a hero. His controversial decision to release information detailing the highly illegal ‘data mining’ practices of the N.S.A have caused shockwaves throughout the world and have raised important questions concerning how much the government actually monitors its people without their consent or knowledge. Comparable to Mark Felt in the Watergate scandals, Daniel Ellsberg with the Pentagon Papers, Edward Snowden joins the rank of infamous whistleblowers who gave up their jobs, livelihood, and forever will live under scrutiny of the public all in the service to the American people. Edward Snowden released information detailing the
Sharon Watkins earned her 15 minutes of fame the honest way, as the Enron employee who blew the lid off of then CEO Ken Lay's debauchery. But for every celebrated whistleblower, there are hundreds who remain in the shadows. And for good Samaritans who do tell their tale, the price they pay can be exorbitant.
For many whistleblowers, fear of persecution and retaliation has prevented them from speaking out against improper behaviors at their institutions. Because of the dangers that whistleblowers are exposed to, many companies have become proactive in promoting and protecting whistleblowing. As a case and point, we need to look no further than the banking giant, Barclays.
The definition section of the Dodd-Frank Act defines a whistleblower as someone who “provides . . . information related to a violation of the securities law to the [Securities and Exchange]
4). Edward Snowden to many is considered a whistle blower which is a person who informs people of organization or people doing illicit acts. One of the many results that Edwards Snowden acts caused some country’s to lose trust in the United States and are cautious of the United States spying on them.