Obama’s New Executive Order Bans Donations to Edward Snowden

On April 1^st, U.S. president Barack Obama signed a vague executive order titled “Blocking the Property of Certain Persons Engaging in Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities,” which had many wondering exactly what these implications were. The order “declares a national emergency, makes sweeping references concerning transactions made online with any individual or group deemed a threat to national security, and institutes the use of sanctions against those who violate it,” according to a report by The Pontiac Tribune.

“I’m for the first time authorizing targeted sanctions against individuals or entities whose actions in cyberspace result in significant threats to the national security, foreign policy, economic health, or the financial stability of the United States,” Obama said in a statement.

The order is apparently meant to protect us from foreign hackers. However, its ambiguity leaves a lot of room for interpretation. As with the U.S.’s “War on Terror”, the order does not define exactly what constitutes a “threat”. We are once again left to trust the government to make these decisions for us.

It seems there are two main concerns with the new order, the first being penetration testing (pen-testing). In the cybersecurity field, it is vital to find any network vulnerabilities by attempting to gain access to computers and networks without credentials or permissions. There are tools that can be used for these purposes, which could also be used for malicious purposes. The new order potentially leaves developers open to prosecution.

Obama has tried to put this concern to rest by claiming that the order isn’t mean to target “the legitimate cybersecurity research community or professionals who help companies to improve their cybersecurity,” however the order itself does not make this specification, leaving a loophole for future prosecutions.

The second concern is whether or not those wishing to help whistleblowers—such as Edward Snowden—by donating online will face prosecution as well. According to the U.S. government, Snowden’s massive leak of classified documents presents a direct threat to national security, and this executive action, according to reports, is meant to target those who would sympathize with Snowden’s plight. Obama’s order shuts down any lawful attempt to donate to the whistleblower’s cause.

Ironically, the executive order, so far, seems to be having the opposite effect; Kristopher Ives, a software programmer out of Oregon, has been trolling President Obama in an act of protest against the order and the treatment of Snowden.

He has openly challenged Obama to imprison him for breaking the law and violating the executive order by donating to Edward Snowden’s cause, and it seems numerous others are following suit. In a post on Reddit’s Bitcoin subreddit, quite a few members have pledged to donate to Snowden’s relief fund in spite of Obama’s new order.

“This is almost as bad as the Patriot Act,” stated the user who first posted the thread.

The Snowden fund’s bitcoin account saw an unprecedented spike earlier this year with the release of “Citizenfour”, filmed and directed by Laura Poitras, and since the executive order was put into place, the donations are pouring in at an accelerated  pace.

If you too would like to take a stand against Obama’s executive order by donating to the “Free Snowden” relief fund, click here.

Sources:

Bernish, Claire. The Pontiac Tribune. Apr 10, 2015. (http://pontiactribune.com/obamas-executive-order-attempts-to-stop-aid-to-snowden/)

Marciana, Jackson of Counter Current News. Mint Press News. Apr 6, 2015. (http://www.mintpressnews.com/obamas-new-executive-order-banning-donations-to-edward-snowden-challenged-with-33-cent-donation/203979/)

Whittaker, Zack. ZD Net. Apr 3, 2015. (http://www.zdnet.com/article/snowden-donations-rocket-after-obamas-cybersecurity-order-outlaws-fund/#!)