Apple joins alliance of tech heavyweights to demand increased NSA transparency
A group of tech titans, including Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook, threw their substantial weight behind a civil rights alliance that will reportedly demand greater transparency regarding the U.S. government's surveillance programs.
Reportedly top-secret slide regarding the U.S. government's PRISM data mining program. | Source: The Washington Post
Coming one month after a leak revealed the existence of America's PRISM data mining initiative, in which Apple supposedly played a small role, an alliance of 63 public companies, non-profit and trade organizations, and investors are calling for the government to make its operations more transparent. According to AllThingsD, the group will send a letter asking as much on Thursday.
?Basic information about how the government uses its various law enforcement?related investigative authorities has been published for years without any apparent disruption to criminal investigations,? reads a copy of the letter obtained by the publication. ?We seek permission for the same information to be made available regarding the government?s national security?related authorities.?
In particular, the group is planning to ask President Barack Obama and select members of Congress to strip away restrictions that limit what information companies can divulge regarding government requests for sensitive data. Specifically, the alliance wants to have the option to issue disclosures about requests for user data made to Internet, phone, and Web service operators in the name of national security.
The alliance wants to be able to disclose the following: the number of government requests for user data; the number of individuals, accounts, or devices connected to said requests; and the number of requests looking for communications content, subscriber information, or other similar data.
Apple was reported to be a willing participant of PRISM in June, but the company released a public statement saying it had never heard of the program, denying that it grants server access to any U.S. agency.
Reportedly top-secret slide regarding the U.S. government's PRISM data mining program. | Source: The Washington Post
Coming one month after a leak revealed the existence of America's PRISM data mining initiative, in which Apple supposedly played a small role, an alliance of 63 public companies, non-profit and trade organizations, and investors are calling for the government to make its operations more transparent. According to AllThingsD, the group will send a letter asking as much on Thursday.
?Basic information about how the government uses its various law enforcement?related investigative authorities has been published for years without any apparent disruption to criminal investigations,? reads a copy of the letter obtained by the publication. ?We seek permission for the same information to be made available regarding the government?s national security?related authorities.?
In particular, the group is planning to ask President Barack Obama and select members of Congress to strip away restrictions that limit what information companies can divulge regarding government requests for sensitive data. Specifically, the alliance wants to have the option to issue disclosures about requests for user data made to Internet, phone, and Web service operators in the name of national security.
The alliance wants to be able to disclose the following: the number of government requests for user data; the number of individuals, accounts, or devices connected to said requests; and the number of requests looking for communications content, subscriber information, or other similar data.
Apple was reported to be a willing participant of PRISM in June, but the company released a public statement saying it had never heard of the program, denying that it grants server access to any U.S. agency.
Comments
And you thought that was innocent...
This government does kind of suck though, when they are forcing all of those companies to lie to their customers.
Steve Jobs probably told him to piss off, or at least I hope that he did, because Apple only joined after he was no longer alive.
I know what I'm talking about on this subject. I worked as a government contractor for over 30 years. This graphic is either a fake or several people are in trouble for posting it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Enigmamatic
The gander must have killed the goose.
Do you even know what you're writing?
Quote:
Originally Posted by rob53
If the Washington Post got this graphic from someone other than Snowden, then there is another person who will be arrested. The classification information on this graphic means it can't be given to the Post and definitely can't be posted here. AI better get it's lawyers ready because this classification of document is not covered by the Freedom of Information Act so this site has no right to publish it.
I know what I'm talking about on this subject. I worked as a government contractor for over 30 years. This graphic is either a fake or several people are in trouble for posting it.
If the stories from discredited analysts and nonsensical speculation about non-existant products stop...we'll know someone has been sent to Guantanamo.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evilution
That's rich, google and Facebook asking for such things when they are the worst ones for slyly collecting data.
Yes, but they are up front about it (more or less).
The slide is obviously a fake. It says the Prism Program costs 20M per year.
Impossible!
That is just the cost for the toilet paper in the men's restroom at headquarters.
Thank you Mr. Snowden
These are some pretty big guys in this game. To say it is a sham doesn't hold.
Why would these companies go public, if there wasn't true intention behind their stand? Attention is drawn, expectations to be met, and good names to uphold to any who expect security by these companies.
One can't move a government, but a large number with power, money, influence along with public awareness and support surely can. There is the possibility that many might also join the 'movement', if that is what it is meant to become.
Quote:
Originally Posted by warheart777
If your mad at these tech companies... why? The ones that are suppose to be protecting your liberties are the ones asking for IT! Go to the source of the problem. And maybe you'll finally realize voting for individuals who support big government is a bad idea. Its cost more to sustain out of your paycheck and corruption becomes more rampant with size. You wanted a group that would take over leadership of yourself and children... what did you all actually think was gonna happen!?
The problem is not big government, whatever that is. When govt steps on toes, be they rich or poor, Big Govt is named Culprit and discussion is closed.
It is big business that is centre to the lose of liberties and if you know your American history (not being an American, I know little but I do know a bit about Jefferson and a few other flawed, but great men) then you know this is an old tale that has traversed to reality, gangbusters.
Any step to bend the govt's ear is a step far better than a back turned which seems what some here are doing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/prism-collection-documents/m/
That's a really ugly powerpoint slide
Apple takes privacy very seriously.
Google doesn't like competitors in private info gathering.
Do you even know what you're talking about?