It's one of the big questions concerning Edward Snowden, the self-confessed leaker and National Security Agency whistle-blower: What next? While legal experts debate whether he will be extradited from Hong Kong, where he's hiding out, and how much jail time he could face? AOL Jobs decided to glean some insight into Snowden's fate by looking at past whistle-blowers. What happened to government officials, corporate execs and lowly clerks who went up against the powers-that-be and revealed secrets? (AOL, like other tech companies, said in a statement it does "not have any knowledge of the Prism program" that Snowden revealed in his leak.)
While some went on to have high-paying careers, many others went to jail or were ostracized, forced to live in obscurity. One famous whistle-blower, Bradley Manning, who handed over classified videos, cables and other documents to Wikileaks, is currently standing trial for the charge of aiding the enemy. He faces life in prison.
Indeed, one thing is clear: the life of a whistle-blower is never easy, even though President Obama himself has signed laws that are supposed to protect them. Read on, and then tell us: What do you think should happen to Edward Snowden?
Mark Felt, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
How he blew the whistle: As the associate director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the early 1970's, Mark Felt was aware of illegal attempts by the Nixon Administration to spy on political opponents, breaking into offices and reading their mail. So when J. Edgar Hoover died in 1972, and Nixon bypassed Felt and appointed another ally as FBI director, Felt became a critical source to Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, as he and fellow reporter Carl Bernstein investigated the Watergate Hotel break-in and resulting scandal.
What happened: He retired from the FBI in 1973. For years, Felt's identity was kept secret; Woodward and Bernstein only referred to him as "Deep Throat." At his request, his true identity was disclosed in 2005, when he was 91 years old. He died in 2008.
In 1978, he faced felony charges in connection with FBI surveillance of radical groups like the Weather Underground. He was pardoned by President Ronald Reagan in 1982. During legal proceedings he was the beneficiary of many private donations, including gifts from Nixon himself. Felt wrote several books about his time in the Bureau.
Daniel Ellsberg, U.S. Pentagon
How he blew the whistle: In the early 1970's, military leaders and the White House claimed America was winning the Vietnam War. In private, however, they wrote an encyclopedic history that detailed America's failures. In 1969, young, defense analyst Daniel Ellsberg began photocopying the Department of Defense records, which documented how four presidential administrations misled the American public. It also revealed the secret bombing campaign in Cambodia. In 1971, Ellsberg handed over the secret war files, known as the "Pentagon Papers," to the New York Times.
What happened: Ellsberg was charged under the Espionage Act of 1917, but the charges were dropped in 1971. Ellsberg began a career as a political activist.
What he's doing now: As a member of the New York-based Campaign for Peace and Democracy, Ellsberg was an outspoken opponent of the 2003-2011 Iraq War, among other issues. He lives in Kensington, Calif. and has called Edward Snowden a "hero."
Mordechai Vanunu, Israeli Government
How he blew the whistle: As a matter of policy, Israel refuses to acknowledge its nuclear program. But as a nuclear technician for the Israeli government, Vanunu confirmed the program to the Sunday Times of London in 1986, saying he was morally opposed to weapons of destruction. At the time, he said the state had between 100 to 200 nuclear weapons.
What happened: Israeli agents captured him in Italy in 1986, and Vanunu was sentenced to 18 years in Israeli prisons for being a traitor. He spent 11 in solitary confinement. After he was released in 2004, Vanunu was sent back to jail in 2010 for three months for meeting with foreigners, including his Norwegian girlfriend.
What he's doing now: He is still monitored by the Israeli government, and is reported to be living in East Jerusalem.
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