Nearly all of the tech industry, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and LinkedIn have co-signed a letter to the US government, calling for reform of Section 215 of the Patriot Act before it expires and is likely renewed in May. The coalition is seeking an "effective end to bulk collection" of user metadata, "transparency and accountability mechanisms" for federal and industry reporting, and eased declassification of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court decisions.
Section 215 of the Patriot Act allows the FBI to obtain court orders through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to confiscate or collect data that assists in an investigation ostensibly undertaken to protect against terrorism. Orders are granted
ex parte and reasons for granting orders are generally never disclosed, and are under a mandated gag order for at least a year, but practically, this has been extended in perpetuity.
David Drummond, Google's Chief Legal Officer, said in a
blog post about the letter that "we have a responsibility to protect the privacy and security of our users' data. At the same time, we want to do our part to help governments keep people safe. We have little doubt that Congress can protect both national security and privacy while taking a significant, concrete step toward restoring trust in the Internet."
NSA Coalition Letter 032515
Top