Apple has joined Google, Microsoft, and Facebook in saying it has obtained permission to disclose a bit more about requests it receives. In a statement issued yesterday, they write: Two weeks ago, when technology companies were accused of indiscriminately sharing customer data with government agencies, Apple issued a clear response: We first heard of the government’s “Prism”…
Category: Govt
Senators skip classified briefing on NSA snooping to catch flights home
Alexander Bolton reports: A recent briefing by senior intelligence officials on surveillance programs failed to attract even half of the Senate, showing the lack of enthusiasm in Congress for learning about classified security programs. [WATCH VIDEO] Many senators elected to leave Washington early Thursday afternoon instead of attending a briefing with James Clapper, the Director…
The state secrets privilege in challenges to government surveillance programs
Babak Siavoshy writes: As the Washington Post reports, one of the legal obstacles the ACLU may face in its lawsuit challenging NSA surveillance of telephony metadata is the state secrets privilege. In recent years, the government has used the state secrets privilege with increasing frequency to block lawsuits and prevent discovery on national security grounds. According to Professor Donohue, between 2001…
Facebook Releases Data, Including All National Security Requests
Ted Ullyot, Facebook General Counsel, writes: … Since this story was first reported, we’ve been in discussions with U.S. national security authorities urging them to allow more transparency and flexibility around national security-related orders we are required to comply with. We’re pleased that as a result of our discussions, we can now include in a…