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Edward Snowden is demanding whistleblowers be given guaranteed protection under law.

The man behind one of the biggest leaks in US history wants 'iron-clad' securities for government employees to raise concerns about potential departmental illegalities.

Snowden believes there is currently no motivation for whistleblowers to expose wrongdoing - with punishment more likely than any form of commendation.

Speaking to The Guardian, he said: 'We need iron-clad, enforceable protections for whistleblowers, and we need a public record of success stories. 

'There are no incentives for people to stand up against an agency on the wrong side of the law today, and that's got to change.'

'The sad reality of today's policies is that going to the inspector general with evidence of truly serious wrongdoing is often a mistake.'

Snowden's call comes just days after a Pentagon source claimed the current system for reporting misdoings was now a 'trap'.

John Crane, a former assistant inspector at the United States' defence headquarters, alleges his ex-employers gave criminal investigators the name of a colleague - Thomas Drake - who was on the verge of blowing the whistle on a new, nationwide surveillance programme.

He also claims documents that would have aided Drake's defence were destroyed. Drake invested all his money in his defence before the case against him was dropped, leaving his life devastated by the allegations.