> Anyone who has worked in tech for any amount of time has signed an NDA.
Just because something is ubiquitous doesn't mean it's ok.
Not that NDAs are always bad, but they should have limited scope, and maybe expirations.
And blanket non-disparagement agreements that prevent employees from ever saying anything bad about their employer are clearly bad.
> one who reveals something covert or who informs against another especially : an employee who brings wrongdoing by an employer or by other employees to the attention of a government or law enforcement agency
Wikipedia further asserts:
> Whistleblowing is the activity of a person, often an employee, revealing information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed wrongful – whether it be illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe, unethical, or fraudulent
Arguably, nothing the NSA was doing was illegal. Was Snowden not a whistleblower?
The Supreme Court disagreed; the surveillance program was illegal.
Non-Disclosure agreements to protect a company's legitimate business and trade secrets aren't nefarious.
But I'd argue that Non-Disparagement agreements or non-disparagement clauses that block disclosure of inappropriate personal behavior is, in fact, nefarious.