Whistleblowing

U.S. intelligence watchdog says it will encourage whistleblowers to come forward

The U.S. National Security Agency’s top oversight official, Robert Storch, is working to repair the spy agency’s reputation with whistleblowers in an effort to encourage staff to report wrongdoing internally, rather than go public.

“It’s really important we encourage whistleblowers to come forward and that they feel comfortable doing so and if there are allegations of reprisal then we take that very seriously,” Storch said in an interview with Reuters last week.

The spy agency has experienced a series of embarrassing leaks over the past five years, beginning with Edward Snowden’s 2013 high-profile exposure of secret NSA surveillance programs.

Getting more staff to come forward and report concerns internally through Storch’s office could reduce the number of leaks, said intelligence community historian Steven Aftergood.

Yet some experts believe potential whistleblowers should remain skeptical of promises they will be protected or appreciated.

“It is a military intelligence agency and by its nature it imposes strict discipline on its employees so it’s a tough place to be a dissenter,” Aftergood said.