The likes of Facebook, Google and more than 60 other Internet giants and advocacy groups have sent a letter to Washington urging the government for more transparency in the wake of disclosures exposing vast federal surveillance programs.
Sixty-three signees in all have added their name to a letter sent
Thursday morning to President Barack Obama and over a dozen other
figures from the legislative and executive branches asking the
government to adjust the way it goes about collecting
intelligence during national security investigations.
Disclosures attributed to National Security Agency contractor
Edward Snowden last month rekindled discussion with regards to
the federal government’s ability to easily collect telephone,
email and Internet records, often scooping up personal
information pertaining to American citizens along the way. And
while the Obama administration continues to defend its spy
policies provided under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
and the PATRIOT Act, this week’s letter urges Uncle Sam to
reconsider the way those probes are conducted.
Under current legislation, Internet Service Providers and other
Web companies can be compelled to provide the government with the
metadata of customers, yet at the same time they are often
prevented from acknowledging those requests. A number of
companies have published vague information about these FISA
requests in recent months, including Google, Microsoft and Yahoo,
yet hard figures pertaining to these requests aren’t allowed by
law to be published.
The 63 signees on this week’s letter say the government should
ensure that the companies entrusted with the privacy and security
of their users’ data be allowed to regularly report statistics
showing the number of government requests made under the PATRIOT
Act and FISA, as well as the number of accounts or individuals
impacted and figures reflecting instances in which the contents
of phone calls or emails are recovered.
“As an initial step, we
request that the Department of Justice, on behalf of the relevant
executive branch agencies, agree that Internet, telephone and
web-based service providers may publish specific numbers
regarding government requests authorized under specific national
security authorities, including the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act (FISA) and the NSL statutes. We further urge
Congress to pass legislation requiring comprehensive transparency
reporting by the federal government and clearly allowing for
transparency reporting by companies without requiring companies
to first seek permission from the government or the FISA
Court,” the letter reads.
Other entities who have endorsed the letter include Silicon
Valley companies AOL, Apple, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and
Mozilla, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union, the
Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Center for Democracy &
Technology.
The president and his attorney general and director of national
intelligence are all listed as intended recipients, as well as
NSA Director Gen. Keith Alexander, House Speaker Rep. John
Boehner (R-Ohio) and other members of Congress.
“Democracy requires accountability and accountability requires
transparency. Yet the American people lack basic information
about the scope of the government’s surveillance of the Internet,
information that many companies would eagerly share with their
users if only they weren’t gagged by the government,” CDT
senior counsel Kevin Bankston, who organized the joint
call-to-action, said in a statement. “Internet companies
responsible for protecting the privacy and security of our
communications need to maintain the trust of their users in the
US and around the globe. Allowing companies to issue transparency
reports that contain basic information about the government’s
demands for data will help them do just that.”
In the letter, the companies add, “Just as the United States
has long been an innovator when it comes to the Internet and
products and services that rely upon the Internet, so too should
it be an innovator when it comes to creating mechanisms to ensure
that government is transparent, accountable, and respectful of
civil liberties and human rights.”
Last week, Yahoo wrote Washington asking that the FISA court
unseal its own arguments made during a 2008 effort to prevent the
government and acquiring mass metadata without a want. ACLU
attorney Alex Abdo told Mercury News that “This is the first
time we’ve seen one of these companies making this broad an
argument in favor of transparency in the FISA court.”
Other companies have pleaded with the FISA court in recent months
to change their rules, including a passionate effort made by
Microsoft in which Vice President John Frank wrote on a blog
post, “We continue to believe that what we are permitted to
publish continues to fall short of what is needed to help the
community understand and debate these issues.” Weeks later,
new documents attributed to Snowden alleged that the Microsoft
worked hand-in-hand with the government to assist with
wiretapping operations.
Despite a major public backlash in the wake of Snowden’s
revelations, the Obama administration continues to stand by the
surveillance programs. NSA chief Gen. Keith Alexander said the
leaks caused “irreversible and significant damage to the
US.”
Republished with permission from: RT