Google tell us that the FBI uses National Security Letters, a type of surveillance, which the watchdogs have said is invasive and frightening. It appears that they get information from those who are using Google.
It has been said that Google are now seen as having an unprecedented win for transparency but this is just one step forward.
Dan Auberach of the Electronic Frontier Foundations said that he had serious concerns about the use of NSLs. He went on to say that the agency has issued 16,511 NSLs in 2011 and this was the last year that data had been collected. Google have not said how many letters they got.
“The terrorists apparently would win if Google told you the exact number of times the Federal Bureau of Investigation invoked a secret process to extract data about the media giant’s customers,” Wired’s David Kravets wrote.
NSLs are a way of the FBI being able to get information from people, this is authorised by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. This means that the agency can get information on people who take out a subscription to any electronics communication service.
NSLs do have constraints for secrecy so that the request for information cannot be acknowledged. Privacy experts don’t like the use of letters.
“Of all the dangerous government surveillance powers that were expanded by the USA PATRIOT Act, the National Security Letter (NSL) power … is one of the most frightening and invasive,” the EFF wrote. “These letters … allow the FBI to secretly demand data about ordinary American citizens’ private communications and Internet activity without any meaningful oversight or prior judicial review.”
Google had talks with the government and they have made a chink in the armour which meant that Google could take about the requests for data and other information.
It has been said that Google are now seen as having an unprecedented win for transparency but this is just one step forward.
Dan Auberach of the Electronic Frontier Foundations said that he had serious concerns about the use of NSLs. He went on to say that the agency has issued 16,511 NSLs in 2011 and this was the last year that data had been collected. Google have not said how many letters they got.
“The terrorists apparently would win if Google told you the exact number of times the Federal Bureau of Investigation invoked a secret process to extract data about the media giant’s customers,” Wired’s David Kravets wrote.
NSLs are a way of the FBI being able to get information from people, this is authorised by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. This means that the agency can get information on people who take out a subscription to any electronics communication service.
NSLs do have constraints for secrecy so that the request for information cannot be acknowledged. Privacy experts don’t like the use of letters.
“Of all the dangerous government surveillance powers that were expanded by the USA PATRIOT Act, the National Security Letter (NSL) power … is one of the most frightening and invasive,” the EFF wrote. “These letters … allow the FBI to secretly demand data about ordinary American citizens’ private communications and Internet activity without any meaningful oversight or prior judicial review.”
Google had talks with the government and they have made a chink in the armour which meant that Google could take about the requests for data and other information.