Monday, April 27, 2015

Tech groups want NSA data collection curbed

Tech Groups Pressure Congress To End NSA Bulk Data Collection - BuzzFeed News - Hamza Shaban:

April 16, 2015 - "A host of technology trade groups are lobbying Congress to end the government’s controversial metadata collection program that was brought to public prominence by Edward Snowden almost two years ago. In a letter sent to intelligence and judiciary leadership yesterday, groups representing a vast array of tech firms, including Google, IBM, Facebook, and Apple, expressed support for fundamental surveillance reform.

"The groups take specific issue with Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which federal agencies claim gives authority to collect American phone records without a warrant. The six groups that sent the letter, including TechNet, the Information Technology Industry Council, and the Information Industry Association, also appealed for increased government transparency. Their primary concern was that the current state of affairs is leading to a worldwide erosion of trust.

"'U.S. technology providers continue to face concerns from global customers regarding the safety and security of their offerings,' the groups wrote. 'In fact, foreign competitors and foreign governments regularly seize on this opportunity to challenge U.S. technological leadership by raising questions about our nation’s surveillance regime'....

"Key spying provisions of the Patriot Act, Section 215 among them, are set to expire on June 1.... While the provision has been reauthorized in the past, this will be the first time it’s been voted on since Snowden revealed the NSA’s phone-monitoring program of U.S. citizens."

Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/hamzashaban/tech-groups-pressure-congress-to-end-nsa-bulk-data-collectio
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