U.S. Allows Tech Giants To Reveal Spy Agency Demands

@AFP
U.S. Allows Tech Giants To Reveal Spy Agency Demands

Washington (AFP) – The United States is to give technology firms more leeway to publish broad details of how their customer data has been targeted by U.S. spy agencies, officials said Monday.

Attorney General Eric Holder and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said communications providers would be allowed to disclose figures on consumer accounts requested.

“The administration is acting to allow more detailed disclosures about the number of national security orders and requests issued to communications providers,” they said, in a joint statement.

In a letter to tech giants Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft and Yahoo, the Justice Department freed them release the approximate number of customer accounts targeted.

Previously, the existence of orders made by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for access to private online data was itself classified, to the outrage of the firms.

In addition to the bare numbers of targeted consumers, the companies will also be permitted to disclose the number but not the nature of selection criteria for broader Internet sweeps.

AFP Photo/Nicholas Kamm

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

Joe Biden
President Joe Biden

Last week,The Economist's presidential polling average set in motion a reevaluation of the general election when President Joe Biden pulled ahead of Donald Trump for the first time since September 2023.

Keep reading...Show less
Alex Jones

Alex Jones

At a press conference on Tuesday, March 26, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told reporters that there was no sign of terrorism or foul play in the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge — which had been struck by a freighter. According to Moore and the Biden White House, there was no indication that it was anything other than a tragic accident.

Keep reading...Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}