Since Google was one of the alleged tech companies that is said to be a part of a PRISM surveillance program that allows the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States to obtain user data the company has received strict criticism from many angered users. Although US President Barack Obama and Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper discarded the PRISM surveillance claims people still seem quite angry about the secret mining of data and they are still censuring Google and other companies. Therefore to get rid of this criticism Google finally decided to sent a letter to the US government in which the Mountain View-based company has requested the authorities allow the firm to issue “aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures—in terms of both the number we receive and their scope.”
Google also wrote in the letter that it is not afraid to reveal the numbers, as the multinational company “has nothing to hide”. Google sent this letter to the US government on Tuesday, June 11th and instantly published it over its blog as well. After which Microsoft and Facebook, which are also amongst the alleged companies, said that they agree with Google. For further details read the full letter below that Google has sent to the US government:
“Dear Attorney General Holder and Director Mueller
Google has worked tremendously hard over the past fifteen years to earn our users’ trust. For example, we offer encryption across our services; we have hired some of the best security engineers in the world; and we have consistently pushed back on overly broad government requests for our users’ data.
We have always made clear that we comply with valid legal requests. And last week, the Director of National Intelligence acknowledged that service providers have received Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) requests.
Assertions in the press that our compliance with these requests gives the U.S. government unfettered access to our users’ data are simply untrue. However, government nondisclosure obligations regarding the number of FISA national security requests that Google receives, as well as the number of accounts covered by those requests, fuel that speculation.
We therefore ask you to help make it possible for Google to publish in our Transparency Report aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures—in terms of both the number we receive and their scope. Google’s numbers would clearly show that our compliance with these requests falls far short of the claims being made. Google has nothing to hide.
Google appreciates that you authorized the recent disclosure of general numbers for national security letters. There have been no adverse consequences arising from their publication, and in fact more companies are receiving your approval to do so as a result of Google’s initiative. Transparency here will likewise serve the public interest without harming national security.
We will be making this letter public and await your response.
David Drummond
Chief Legal Officer”
Source: 9to5Google
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