TL;DR: After a court ruling this week about book royalties from famed whistleblower Edward Snowden being confiscated by the US government, he responded, “The government may steal a dollar, but it cannot erase the idea that earned it.” While the judge’s decision was widely viewed as an ominous sign for privacy advocates and freedom of the press, it has also become an opportunity to highlight the main use case for peer-to-peer electronic cash.

Snowden Book Royalties Seized by US Judge

“I wrote this book,” Snowden continued, “Permanent Record, for you, and I hope the government’s ruthless desperation to prevent its publication only inspires you read it—and then gift it to another.” His book is a first-person account of setting the US intelligence world on fire back in 2013, disclosing revelations about domestic and international spying — programs officials had long denied even existed.

United States of America vs. Edward Snowden and his publisher Macmillan was dealt a 14 page decision by Judge Liam O’Grady of the United States District Court (Alexandria, VA). O’Grady found proceeds from the Snowden book must be surrendered by the publisher as per a violation of previous agreements made about intelligence agencies being allowed to vet disclosures such as those in Permanent Record‘s contents prior to publication.

As part of Snowden’s being a contractor with agencies like the CIA and NSA back in 2013, he signed certain disclosure agreements, including making employment-related information known to the public. Permanent Record does indeed make such revelations known and at least discusses his role in making them public in great detail. That was enough for the judge to rule in the NSA’s and CIA’s favor, effectively wiping out any financial gain for Snowden and his publisher (it also includes speaking royalties).

The decision, while considered ominous for privacy-oriented civil libertarians, continues to promote the book in a Streisand Effect way and has, more recently, allowed peer-to-peer electronic cash’s power to shine. When asked what supporters should do, caught between supporting Snowden but not wanting to feed the CIA and NSA, he answered, “I’d recommend donating to the families that helped me in Hong Kong. They need it more than I do.” The group, For the Refugees, accepts bitcoin cash (BCH) among other cryptocurrencies.

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