I want to take a moment for a reminder about why clearance holders need to be careful about the information they share, even with the people closest to them.
If you’ve been following the news, you’ve probably seen reports that a CIA contractor allegedly disclosed classified information to his girlfriend, who then posted it on her Substack. You can find plenty of coverage elsewhere if you want every detail. That’s not why you come to ClearanceJobs. What I want to talk about is what this means for you.
Substack is a journalistic platform
Ironically, I just published my first post on our Secret Squirrel Whisperers Substack this weekend. We launched it a few weeks ago, and I’ve been meaning to get content up there. Substack is a growing platform, and I love it. But it’s a publishing outlet. What you post there is meant for public consumption, and I expect that’s how it will be treated in this case. If you’re sharing information with someone who writes on Substack, you’re sharing it with a journalist.
The honeypot is real
My second point feels like it shouldn’t need to be said, but here we are. I recently saw a story about tech engineers being warned that attractive people pursuing them might be more interested in their code than in them. The same goes for clearance holders. If someone much younger than you suddenly takes a very keen interest in your work, there may be other reasons behind it.
And yes, that’s reportable.
If these allegations are true, this contractor will most likely lose his clearance and could end up in jail. One bad decision can end a career.
So be careful what you post online, treat Substack as a journalistic platform, and stay alert to who’s approaching you romantically. The honeypot is real.
