On Thursday, February 20, National Whistleblower Center hosted a free webinar called Knowing Your Rights as a Federal Employee: Special Privacy Act Webinar which is now available to watch for free.
Federal employees often find themselves in challenging situations when it comes to reporting misconduct or blowing the whistle. Due to the sensitive nature of their work, they may be caught between special interest groups, political adversaries, and their job responsibilities.
The free webinar outlined what federal employees and contractors need to know about their rights under the Privacy Act and how they can use the law to obtain protection, information, and relief.
The webinar features co-founders of National Whistleblower Center, Stephen M. Kohn and David Colapinto, two leading whistleblower attorneys who as founding partners at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto have represented federal employee whistleblowers since the 1980s and pioneered legal theories to protect federal employees under the Privacy Act.
“This is a non-partisan, informational seminar,” says Kohn. “Over the years, federal employees, such as Linda Tripp, have turned to the Privacy Act to protect their rights, establishing strong legal precedents. It is critical that individuals are aware of their rights and how to protect themselves in court.”
The Privacy Act of 1974 establishes fair practices for collecting, maintaining, using, and disseminating personal information about individuals held in the records of federal agencies. This legislation was enacted following the Watergate scandal and the Counterintelligence Program scandals, which involved surveillance against opposition political parties and individuals considered “subversive.”
Following the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto represented Linda Tripp in a Privacy Act case. Tripp successfully sued the government alleging that the Department of Defense retaliated against her by leaking private information to the press. As demonstrated by the Tripp case, the Privacy Act offers numerous potential avenues for a whistleblower to use those provisions to obtain protection, information, and relief.
