Temat: WHISTLEBLOWER NEWS 2013 – 21.

WHISTLEBLOWER NEWS 2013 – 21. GAP's mission is to promote corporate and government accountability by protecting whistleblowers, advancing occupational free speech, and empowering citizen activists.

The Guardian: Threat from NSA Leaks May Have Been Overstated by UK, Says Lord Falconer
2013-11-18
Summary: Former Lord Chancellor of England – Lord Falconer, a close ally of Tony Blair said, "Although I take very seriously what they say [about the importance of secrecy] I am sceptical that the revelations about the broad picture have necessarily done the damage that is being asserted."
In related news, the latest major revelation from a Snowden disclosure has revealed that Australian officials tried to “listen in on the personal phone calls of the Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and have targeted the mobile phones of his wife, senior ministers and confidants.” Indonesian officials are angry, and seeking clarification about what happened.

Washington Post: Justice is Reviewing Criminal Cases that Used Surveillance Evidence Gathered Under FISA

Winnipeg Free Press: Thumbnail Sketches of Four Federal Whistleblowers and Their Fates
Summary: This article profiles four Canadian government whistleblowers: an insurance fraud investigator, a Public Works official, a deputy ambassador to Afghanistan and a former Environmental contractor. All four exposed wrongdoing within their spheres and all but one was retaliated against for the actions taken. Their stories reflect the dichotomy between a government’s positive tone toward transparency and whistleblowing versus the harsher reality.

Bloomberg: UK Bank Whistleblowers Increase as Regulator Scrutiny Grows
Summary: In the UK, whistleblower complaints to the Financial Conduct Authority increased 23 percent over the last year, up to 4,718 in a 12-month period ending August 31. This report comes after the agency faced scrutiny over not doing enough to encourage financial whistleblowers to come forward. The number of complaints in the UK surpasses the number of calls to the US Securities and Exchange Commission Office of the Whistleblower for the 2013 fiscal year, where 3,200 tips and complaints were recorded.

The Guardian: Lance Armstrong Comes Face to Face with Whistleblower Emma O’Reilly
Summary: Lance Armstrong, who admitted in January to taking performance-enhancing drugs during all seven of his Tour de France wins, confronted the whistleblower who first spoke out against his illegal drug taking. According to this article, the two discussed what happened, saying Armstrong said his attempts to ruin her reputation were “inexcusable and embarrassing.” The whistleblower, Emma O’Reilly, has said that although Armstrong never “actually used the word sorry,” she did get a sense of closure from their conversation.

Tri-City Herald: DOE Nominee Pledges to Study Whistleblowing Policies

Buzzfeed: David Miranda is Nobody’s Errand Boy
Summary: This long-form piece about Glenn Greenwald’s partner David Miranda, who was detained at Heathrow Airport for nine hours under a UK terrorism law for carrying flash drives with sensitive documents between Greenwald and co-collaborator Laura Poitras, attacks the false notion that Miranda is a young, immature man who Greenwald manipulated.

Taipei Times: Remove Risk for Whistleblowers for Public Good
Summary: This article reflects a concern for increased whistleblower protection in Taiwan, where minimal measures are in place to protect whistleblowers.

Associated Press: New Mexico Court Considers Whistleblower Lawsuit Case
Summary: The highest court in New Mexico is deciding whether to reinstate parts of certain whistleblower lawsuits that sought to recover hundreds of millions of dollars for the state. A Court of Appeals last year ruled that it was unconstitutional to apply a law that allows citizens to bring lawsuits on behalf of the state to any activities that took place before 2007. The question is resurfacing because of an alleged “pay-to-play” scheme on public investments.

Full texts: http://www.whistleblower.org/