Microsoft and Google press U.S. government for right to release more data on surveillance

Google and Microsoft might be rivals when it comes to most things, but the two companies have recently joined forces in pressuring the U.S. government to give companies the right to publish information requests made by the secret services. Putting their differences aside, Google and Microsoft are pursuing legal action petitioning the government to permit them to release statistics regarding secret surveillance demands against customers using their services.

The Obama administration has already confirmed that it will begin the release of a limited amount of statistics, notably the total number of security requests that have been issued for customer data over the past 12 months. It’s also been confirmed that this data will be released annually for the foreseeable future, but Google and Microsoft say that this isn’t enough. The two companies are looking for the right to release far more detailed statistics. The U.S. government faced the companies in a federal court in June, but has already asked for six extensions in just two months. Google and Microsoft insist that they simply won’t agree to any more delays.

Microsoft’s general counsel Brad Smith wrote on the company blog, ‘We both remain concerned with the Government’s continued unwillingness to permit us to publish sufficient data relating to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) orders...we believe it is vital to publish information that clearly shows the number of national security demands for user content, such as the text of an email. We believe it’s possible to publish these figures in a manner that avoids putting security at risk.'

Google’s Chief Legal Officer David Drummond took the same stance as Smith in a letter to the attorney general and FBI. ‘We… 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.’

With these two giants of the internet teaming up for the sake of information disclosure rights, it looks like the U.S. government has a serious fight on its hands.

If you’re concerned about the security of your personal information, a VPN service can help. A VPN provides your computer with additional defences while you’re surfing the web, to ensure your data stays safe and private.