Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo! and Google are among firms who have filed a lawsuit against the US government to allow them to explain what data they have disclosed to the NSA and why. US law forbids anyone saying how much data they have provided after an Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) request by the National Security Agency (NSA).
Speaking this week, both Marissa Mayer of Yahoo! and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg expressed their anger that they have been accused of doing too little against NSA surveillance, while being barred from explaining it. As Mayer said, ‘Releasing classified information is treason and you are incarcerated.’
Zuckerberg said the US government had handled the situation badly, initially saying it was not spying on Americans. This is not a comfort to companies who have users all over the world, and has not helped the their image abroad.
Both companies have explained as much as they can, releasing information about how many requests for information they have processed. We also know that Yahoo! has fought requests for information when it felt the requests were not legal. Zuckerberg has previously denied that the NSA has ever been give direct access to Facebook servers.
Read more about PRISM and the NSA:
- Facebook publishes Global Government Requests Report
- Secure email service Lavabit closes
- Protect yourself online: 10 apps to secure online privacy
- Court sides with Yahoo!, requires US government to declassify Yahoo! docs on FISA
- New report reveals Microsoft worked with NSA to provide access to Outlook.com
- PRISM: Leaked NSA slides explains real-time monitoring
[Source: TechCrunch, The Guardian]
