A Bunch Of Major Tech Companies Have Asked The Government To Change How It Spies On People
REUTERS/Stephen Lam
The companies - Google Inc, Microsoft Corp, Apple Inc, Facebook Inc, Twitter, LinkedIn Corp, Yahoo Inc and AOL Inc - issued an open letter to U.S. President Barack Obama and Congress to bring in reforms and restrictions on surveillance activities.
Documents leaked by former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the National Security Agency had penetrated and perhaps targeted some of the companies, prompting Microsoft, Google and Yahoo to increase the amount of encryption.
The letter said the companies understood that governments need to protect their citizens' safety and security, but they believed the current laws and practices need to be reformed.
The 'Reform Government Surveillance' campaign details five major concerns including limiting governments' authority to collect users' information, transparency about government demands and avoiding conflicts among governments.
Obama said last week he intends to propose NSA reforms to reassure Americans that their privacy is not being violated by the agency.
"The security of users' data is critical, which is why we've invested so much in encryption and fight for transparency around government requests for information," Google CEO Larry Page was quoted on the website. "This is undermined by the apparent wholesale collection of data, in secret and without independent oversight, by many governments around the world. It's time for reform and we urge the U.S. government to lead the way."
In a step aimed at reassuring nervous users abroad, last week, Microsoft pledged to fight in court any attempt by U.S. intelligence agencies to seize its foreign business customers' data under American surveillance laws.
(Reporting by Chris Peters and Rohit T.K. in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)
- I spent 2 weeks in India. A highlight was visiting a small mountain town so beautiful it didn't seem real.
- I quit McKinsey after 1.5 years. I was making over $200k but my mental health was shattered.
- Some Tesla factory workers realized they were laid off when security scanned their badges and sent them back on shuttles, sources say
- 8 Lesser-known places to visit near Nainital
- World Liver Day 2024: 10 Foods that are necessary for a healthy liver
- Essential tips for effortlessly renewing your bike insurance policy in 2024
- Indian Railways to break record with 9,111 trips to meet travel demand this summer, nearly 3,000 more than in 2023
- India's exports to China, UAE, Russia, Singapore rose in 2023-24