National Science Foundation to help CIA spy on chatrooms

[Lan Barnes]

On Wed, Dec 01, 2004 at 03:33:15PM -0800, Lew Wolfgang wrote:
> Lan Barnes wrote:
> >On Mon, Nov 29, 2004 at 02:07:55AM -0600, JD Runyan wrote:
> >
> >>Lewis Wolfgang wrote:
> >>
> >>>I just hope that I'm lucky enough to have MY information misused.
> >>>There are Federal laws (Privacy Act) that hold not only an agency
> >>>responsible, but the individual employee can be help personally
> >>>liable.  Ka-Ching!
> >>
> >>I don't know if Ka-Ching is the best way to phrase the amount of money 
> >>you will get suing your average GS employee.
> >>
> >
> >
> >This would be news to me. I was under the impression that close to a
> >century of Supreme Court decisions had established that government
> >workers were pretty much suit proof. If anyone knows otherwise,
> >references please.
> 
> Hi Lan,
> 
> You might be right.  http://www.usdoj.gov/04foia/privstat.htm says
> that the agency is liable, while the employee may be subject to
> criminal sanctions up to $5,000.  I wonder what the liabilities of
> a priviate sector employee would be in a similiar situation?
> 
> Regards,
> Lew
> 

"criminal sanctions" if you break a law, but it's almost impossible for
a government worker to be judged as having done that short theft or
murder. Lying, overcharging, denying benefits, incompetence, all are
suit proof.

Ask the IRS.

-- 
Lan Barnes                    lan at falleagle.net
Linux Guy, SCM Specialist     858-354-0616