Usaid staff told to shred and burn classified documents | Hacker News Reader

Usaid staff told to shred and burn classified documents

bbc.com

31 pointsthrow0101b10 comments

Scorched earth policy: prevent the reactivation of USAID, regardless of damage to its staff. The shutdown has stranded a number of Americans overseas who are effectively forced to repatriate themselves at their own (considerable) expense.

However it's an interesting question as to why an aid agency needs SECRET rather than merely ordinary confidentiality for things like personnel records. Presumably this stuff represents the extent to which USAID actually is a front for US intelligence agencies.

If USAID were a front for intelligence agencies, that fact would be Top Secret.

I suspect the flow of information goes the other way. Some personnel have limited access in order to help plan and protect their workers.

Of course it was an intelligence front.

Not that it means we were running spook ops or assassination squads with the personnel, just that it has boots on the ground to observe things.

Krasnov is getting more and more concrete.

Whether there's rhyme or reason for the action is being questioned:

> The [American Foreign Service Association (AFSA)] union said it was "alarmed" by the reports and warned that such documents "may be relevant to ongoing litigation regarding the termination of USAID employees and the cessation of USAID grants".

[…]

> The Federal Records Act of 1950 sets out guidelines for the proper disposal of documents and creating backup or archival records, including electronic records.

[…]

> "There is no indication in this email order that any thought is being given to proper retention or even identifying which records can be destroyed and which records cannot," said Kel McClanahan, executive director of the National Security Counselors, a non-profit law firm in Washington.

[…]

> The loss of personnel records could also cause serious complications for federal employees who need to verify or process their employment benefits.

Earlier: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43338078

If you are fired or soon to be fired, what are the consequences of just walking away from the documents?

Jail.

Do you mean "walking away with the documents"?

Walking away from the documents is what your employer would like you to do.

No, the employer said to destroy them.

Well, I have to point out that classified!=important.

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