The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has issued a draft notice proposing that all current and future federal employees sign nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) to restrict the dissemination of confidential government information.

人事管理局 (OPM) 已發布一份草案通知，建議所有現任及未來聯邦雇員簽署保密協議 (NDAs)，以限制政府機密資訊的傳播。

The proposed regulatory framework seeks to standardize the safeguarding of non-public, proprietary, and pre-decisional materials. According to the OPM, the initiative is intended to ensure institutional consistency and reinforce existing legal obligations regarding information security. The scope of 'confidential government information' is defined broadly, encompassing internal agency operations, procurement processes, and personnel matters. Under the draft terms, both active and former employees would be subject to civil and criminal penalties for unauthorized disclosures; furthermore, the government would claim entitlement to any royalties derived from such breaches. Former employees would specifically require written authorization from agency officials prior to engaging with journalists on confidential matters.

擬議的監管框架旨在將非公開、專有及決策前的資料保護標準化。根據 OPM 的說法，此項舉措旨在確保機構的一致性，並強化現有的資訊安全法律義務。「政府機密資訊」的定義十分寬泛，涵蓋內部機構運作、採購程序及人事問題。根據草案條款，現任及前任雇員若未經授權而洩露資訊，將面臨民事及刑事處罰；此外，政府將要求擁有任何由該類違約行為產生的權利金。前任雇員在就機密事項與記者接觸前，須特別取得機構官員的書面授權。

This proposal follows a series of unauthorized disclosures that the administration asserts compromised national security and operational integrity. Specifically, the OPM cited leaks regarding immigration enforcement and a military operation in Venezuela as catalysts for this measure. These developments occur within a broader context of administrative efforts to restrict media access, including the seizure of a journalist's electronic devices by the FBI and the imposition of restrictive reporting protocols at the Pentagon. Historically, the administration has utilized NDAs at a departmental level, such as within the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense, and has pursued litigation against former officials for alleged breaches of confidentiality.

此提案是在一系列未經授權的洩密事件後提出的，政府聲稱這些事件損害了國家安全與運作完整性。具體而言，OPM 引用了關於移民執法及委內瑞拉軍事行動的洩密事件，作為採取此措施的催化劑。這些發展處於行政部門限制媒體接觸的更廣泛背景之下，包括 FBI 沒收記者的電子設備，以及五角大廈實施限制性的報導協定。從歷史上看，政府已在部門層級使用保密協議，例如在退伍軍人事務部和國防部，並對涉嫌違反保密協議的前任官員提起訴訟。

Stakeholder responses to the proposal are polarized. OPM Director Scott Kupor posited that the measure aligns federal standards with private-sector confidentiality norms to ensure data accountability. Conversely, representatives from the American Federation of Government Employees and the Freedom of the Press Foundation contend that the broad language of the NDAs may serve to intimidate the workforce and circumvent the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012. While the draft notice explicitly states that legally authorized disclosures to Congress or Inspectors General remain protected, critics argue that the potential for retaliation and the ambiguity of the terms may inhibit lawful whistleblowing.

利益相關者對該提案的反應兩極分化。OPM 局長 Scott Kupor 主張，此舉使聯邦標準與私營部門的保密規範接軌，以確保數據問責制。相反，美國政府雇員聯合會與新聞自由基金會的代表則認為，保密協議中寬泛的措辭可能會被用來恐嚇員工，並規避 2012 年的《舉報人保護強化法案》。儘管草案通知明確表示，向國會或監察長提交的法定授權披露仍受保護，但批評者認為，潛在的報復風險與條款的模糊性可能會抑制合法的舉報行為。

The proposal is currently subject to a 30-day public comment period, after which agencies will have the discretion to implement the NDAs.

該提案目前正處於 30 天的公眾評論期，期滿後各機構將有權決定是否實施保密協議。