President Obama signed a new executive order that will punish any assistance to Edward Snowden and any other whistle blowers

President Obama signed into law a new executive order this week with the law’s loose wording effectively ruling out donating to Edward Snowden and other whistle blowers like him.

In the new executive order, signed into law on Wednesday, US President Barack Obama declared all cyber-threats aimed at the US a “national emergency.” The loosely worded order threatens sanctions against those (including US residents) who engage in cyberattacks and espionage activities that threaten US interests at home and abroad.

The wording of the order specifically addresses any person whose

“property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States.”

Bitcoin subreddit, members pledged to donate to the whistleblower’s relief fund, despite the wording of the new executive order signed by President Obama, suggesting that doing so was illegal.

When the former NSA contractor turned whistleblower was asked during a Reddit question-and-answer session if he had any regrets, he said

“I’d have come forward sooner”

Redditors assume that this includes Edward Snowden, who for more than a year-and-a-half has lived in Russia, evading US justice and stated

“This is almost as bad as the Patriot Act,”

One Reddit user Kristopher Ives was so infused with President Obama’s order he said that he donated to the Snowden fund in bitcoin, a virtual currency used online. In a comment on the thread, Ives, who resideds in Lafayette, Oregon, called the donation a “matter of principle.” He even posted his phone number online, and called on the authorities to “come arrest me.”

Snowden, a 31-year-old former US government contractor, fled the US to Hong Kong and on to Russia after leaking tens of thousands of classified documents pertaining to the National Security Agency’s surveillance operations.

Within days, he outed himself, and was subsequently charged with espionage.

Several people in and out of the US have also donated to the Snowden fund over the past few days, ranging from a few cents to thousands of dollars. It is estimated that, more than 50 transactions have been made on the Snowden fund’s bitcoin account, which saw an large spike of donations earlier this year with the release of the documentary, “Citizenfour,” filmed and directed by Laura Poitras.

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