--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Official Secrets Act 1989 may need…" description: "\"The Official Secrets Act 1989 may need reforming for the digital era, but I would argue that at its heart there should be protection for whistleblowers..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/katharine-gun-13326_digital_the-official-secrets-act-1989-may-need-r_2605432.jpg" --- # The Official Secrets Act 1989 may need reforming for the… ![“The Official Secrets Act 1989 may need reforming for the digital era, but I would argue that at its heart there should be protection for whistleblowers.” quote by Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/katharine-gun-13326_digital_the-official-secrets-act-1989-may-need-r_2605432.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/katharine-gun-13326_digital_the-official-secrets-act-1989-may-need-r_2605432.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/katharine-gun-13326_digital_the-official-secrets-act-1989-may-need-r_2605432.jpg) > “The Official Secrets Act 1989 may need reforming for the digital era, but I would argue that at its heart there should be protection for whistleblowers.” [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Act should evolve for digital times while safeguarding those who expose wrongdoing. **In simple terms:** Update law, protect whistleblowers. Key Takeaway Balance reform with protection. Themes law technology ethics transparency Mood concerned hopeful Type political advocacy When to use this quote - corporate compliance - government oversight - media investigations Key Concepts digital rights whistleblower protection legal reform Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards ensure responsible disclosure? - How to prevent abuse of protections? A Different Perspective Potential conflict with national security. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Digital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital/) [Era](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/era/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Need Reforming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-reforming-1980872/) [Protection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protection/) [Protection Whistleblowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protection-whistleblowers-1980870/) [Reforming Digital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reforming-digital-1980871/) [Secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrets/) [Secrets Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrets-act-1705172/) [Whistleblowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whistleblowers/) ## Related quotes > [I was arrested on suspicion of breach of Official Secrets Act in March 2003, but they didn't charge me until November. Now, the in-between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/i-was-arrested-on-suspicion-of-breach-of-official-secrets-act-in/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [It is our homes and families that need reforming in this increasingly materialistic and secular world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-russell-ballard/it-is-our-homes-and-families-that-need-reforming-in-this-increasingly/) [M. Russell Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-russell-ballard/) > [Every reform, however necessary, will by weak minds be carried to an excess, that itself will need reforming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/every-reform-however-necessary-will-by-weak-minds-be-carried-to-an/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [I mean, Ed Snowden was basically saying the same things that Bill Binney and Thomas Drake and other U.S. whistleblowers had said before him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/i-mean-ed-snowden-was-basically-saying-the-same-things-that-bill/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [...this initiation ceremony, known as 'signing the Official Secrets Act', has no legal force; everyone is bound by the Act whether they sign the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-ponting/this-initiation-ceremony-known-as-signing-the-official-secrets-act/) [Clive Ponting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-ponting/) > [One of the great things about the Fifties is there are so many secrets - people who've come back from the war and done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/one-of-the-great-things-about-the-fifties-is-there-are-so-many/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“For her part, Joanne would be considering exactly what and how much she could tell him—which, in theory, was nothing. The British have their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/for-her-part-joanne-would-be-considering-exactly-what-and-how-much/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [We don't have an Official Secrets Act in the United States, as other countries do. Under the First Amendment, freedom of the press, freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/we-don-t-have-an-official-secrets-act-in-the-united-states-as-other/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [We can reveal that John's 85 That's a well known fact Telling Kathy's age would be a breach Of the Official Secrets Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walter-bratton/we-can-reveal-that-john-s-85-that-s-a-well-known-fact-telling-kathy-s/) [John Walter Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walter-bratton/) > [Whistleblowers play a vital role in ensuring that the federal government is accountable to the people it serves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-moulton/whistleblowers-play-a-vital-role-in-ensuring-that-the-federal/) [Seth Moulton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-moulton/) > [As for labeling someone a whistleblower, I think it does them - it does all of us - a disservice, because it "otherizes" us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/as-for-labeling-someone-a-whistleblower-i-think-it-does-them-it-does/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The vast literature concerning whistleblowers shows that, far from weird extremists, they are really quite ordinary people: male and female, young and old, junior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/the-vast-literature-concerning-whistleblowers-shows-that-far-from/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [“More importantly in my view, the Obama administration has treated whistleblowers with scandalous harshness, especially those from inside the intelligence community. The hardest point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/more-importantly-in-my-view-the-obama-administration-has-treated/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [Whistleblowers is another aspect that needs to be addressed. We have to restore the protections of whistleblowers and also the encouragement and rewards. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-gup/whistleblowers-is-another-aspect-that-needs-to-be-addressed-we-have/) [Ted Gup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-gup/) > [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) ## More by Katharine Gun > [Why did the British authorities wait eight months before charging me - and then drop the charges, claiming there was insufficient evidence for prosecution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/why-did-the-british-authorities-wait-eight-months-before-charging-me/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [I've never met Snowden, I've never spoken with him personally. I mean, he's extremely smart. Very, very smart. I guess he was a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/i-ve-never-met-snowden-i-ve-never-spoken-with-him-personally-i-mean/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [It is vital to speak up in a democracy. Otherwise we are living in dictatorships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/it-is-vital-to-speak-up-in-a-democracy-otherwise-we-are-living-in/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [I'm a fairly happy-go-lucky person, generally fairly optimistic, but there were points when I was down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/i-m-a-fairly-happy-go-lucky-person-generally-fairly-optimistic-but/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [If my own country is subverting the rule of law and sending its own citizens, its military, into harm's way on the basis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/if-my-own-country-is-subverting-the-rule-of-law-and-sending-its-own/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [After the invasion of Afghanistan, when the focus suddenly turned toward Iraq, I suddenly thought, 'What on earth had Iraq got to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/after-the-invasion-of-afghanistan-when-the-focus-suddenly-turned/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [I know my own flaws only too well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/i-know-my-own-flaws-only-too-well/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [I know people have tried to make citizens' arrests on Tony Blair and so on, but really it's time the international criminal court has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/i-know-people-have-tried-to-make-citizens-arrests-on-tony-blair-and/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [You just have to get on with life, there's no alternative. You could curl up in a ball on your bed, but that's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/you-just-have-to-get-on-with-life-there-s-no-alternative-you-could/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [I'm not a politician; I don't have a well-organised PR machine to craft my every word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/i-m-not-a-politician-i-don-t-have-a-well-organised-pr-machine-to/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [I work for the British people. I do not gather intelligence so the government can lie to the British people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/i-work-for-the-british-people-i-do-not-gather-intelligence-so-the/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [I felt guilty - like, I leaked this memo, and now there's going to be a witch hunt for the person who did it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/i-felt-guilty-like-i-leaked-this-memo-and-now-there-s-going-to-be-a/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [I did everything I could to remain anonymous for as long as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/i-did-everything-i-could-to-remain-anonymous-for-as-long-as-possible/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [Cheering crowds have never been my sort of thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/cheering-crowds-have-never-been-my-sort-of-thing/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [I grew up in Taiwan, which was a military dictatorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/i-grew-up-in-taiwan-which-was-a-military-dictatorship/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) [Explore all 51 Katharine Gun quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) ## More Digital quotes > [I had an idea for a technologically advanced luxury watch. I got involved in digital art and neon painting and put on shows of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-moroder/i-had-an-idea-for-a-technologically-advanced-luxury-watch-i-got/) [Giorgio Moroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-moroder/) > [Look at music for what it's worth around the world and not just America. In other countries, people are still buying CDs and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/look-at-music-for-what-it-s-worth-around-the-world-and-not-just/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [When I went to medical school, the term 'digital' applied only to rectal exams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-topol/when-i-went-to-medical-school-the-term-digital-applied-only-to-rectal/) [Eric Topol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-topol/) > [We want to free our citizens from the burden of excessive paper documents in every office. We want paperless transactions. We will set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/we-want-to-free-our-citizens-from-the-burden-of-excessive-paper/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [I'm not mad at digital media at all; I just see the importance and beauty of physical media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-p/i-m-not-mad-at-digital-media-at-all-i-just-see-the-importance-and/) [El-P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-p/) > [To bring the benefits of the digital age to all Americans, the FCC needs to make it easier for companies to build and expand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajit-pai/to-bring-the-benefits-of-the-digital-age-to-all-americans-the-fcc/) [Ajit Pai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajit-pai/) > [It is very hard to transform your culture and your workforce to be a relevant company in the digital world if all of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-sweet/it-is-very-hard-to-transform-your-culture-and-your-workforce-to-be-a/) [Julie Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-sweet/) > [Many American TV actors employ agents, managers, business managers, publicists and stylists, and are now adding digital media manager to the list. Their job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-bellman/many-american-tv-actors-employ-agents-managers-business-managers/) [Gina Bellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-bellman/) > [“I've decided that has been the great achievement of our age: to so thoroughly flood the planet with megabits that every image and fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/i-ve-decided-that-has-been-the-great-achievement-of-our-age-to-so/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Truth is, people like buying things for $0.99 and $1.99 for their digital devices. We know that from iTunes. We know that from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/truth-is-people-like-buying-things-for-0-99-and-1-99-for-their/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [But I had never drawn on a tablet before. I've been doing pencil and paper and film for almost 20 years. I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-hertzfeldt/but-i-had-never-drawn-on-a-tablet-before-i-ve-been-doing-pencil-and/) [Don Hertzfeldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-hertzfeldt/) > [If you want to live a meaningfully better life, you're going to have to make the dangerous choice to dissent. A life lived meaningfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/if-you-want-to-live-a-meaningfully-better-life-you-re-going-to-have/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [As human beings, we are the only organisms that create for the sheer stupid pleasure of doing so. Whether it's laying out a garden,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/as-human-beings-we-are-the-only-organisms-that-create-for-the-sheer/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [I do think there's something about the digital age that is increasingly dehumanising us. We're in this very weird place where we're being pulled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-abrams/i-do-think-there-s-something-about-the-digital-age-that-is/) [J. J. 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