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After Anti-Donation Executive Order, Bitcoin Donations For Snowden Jump

Posted by timothy on from the evading-injustice-is-more-like-it dept.

ZDNet reports that after a recent executive order from President Obama "said to have made it illegal to donate to Edward Snowden's fund," anonymous donations to the fund have soared -- at least ones as anonymous as Bitcoin makes possible. From the article: A new executive order signed into law this week by the president has one online community up in arms, after its loose wording effectively ruled out donating to Edward Snowden and others. In a post on Reddit's Bitcoin subreddit, members pledged to donate to the whistleblower's relief fund, despite the wording of the new executive order suggesting that doing so was illegal. In the new executive order, signed into law on Wednesday, US President Barack Obama declared cyber-threats aimed at the US a "national emergency." The order threatens sanctions against those (including US residents) who engage in cyberattacks and espionage activities that threaten US interests at home and abroad. The wording of the order specifically addresses any person whose "property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States." Redditors were quick to assume (likely correctly) that this includes Edward Snowden, who for more than a year-and-a-half has lived in Russia, evading US justice.

4 of 289 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Linky? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Link to ZDNet article: http://www.zdnet.com/article/snowden-donations-rocket-after-obamas-cybersecurity-order-outlaws-fund/

    Link to executive order: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/04/01/executive-order-blocking-property-certain-persons-engaging-significant-m

  2. Re:Even worse. by snowgirl · · Score: 5, Informative

    Actual Executive Order

    Nothing there says criminal penalties.

    Also, it says that the actors must be outside of the United States. Remind me again, but Snowden did all of his stuff inside of the United States, right?

    As usual, non-lawyers read something think it means something that makes them upset, and it spreads and no one actually sits down to read the actual law.

    --
    WARNING! This girl exceeds the MAXIMUM SAFE standards established by the FDA for BRATTINESS
  3. Re:Executive orders are not law in and of themselv by radarskiy · · Score: 3, Informative

    The Executive Order cites the laws that are claimed to authorize the order in the first paragraph, to wit "including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code".

  4. Re:Anonymous donations? by SuricouRaven · · Score: 3, Informative

    This suggests there's a list of people it is forbidden to donate too, but the list is secret: You don't get to see it until the FBI or CIA come after you for funding terrorism.