Thomas Drake

The person

Military and CIA veteran, Drake spent 12 years as an NSA contractor. He joined the NSA as a senior executive in 2001; served in various roles, including as technical director in cryptologic systems operations. Resigned in 2008.

The act

In late 2001, Drake began raising concerns, first within NSA and then with the Pentagon inspector general and Congress, about the NSA’s collection of Americans’ phone and Internet records. Drake had managed a program, ThinThread, meant to gather communications data without compromising U. S. citizens’ privacy rights, and he believed it had been adapted to spy on Americans. He also shared unclassified information with a reporter.

The consequences

The FBI raided Drake’s home in 2007. In 2010, he was indicted under the Espionage Act for retaining classified records and impeding a federal investigation – he was never charged with leaking classified information. The charges were ultimately dropped; Drake pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of " exceeding authorized use of a computer.”

The outcome

Sentenced to a year of probation and community service, Drake was stripped of his security clearance. He now works at an Apple retail store.