Tech Giants Defying Govt. or so They Say
Yesterday, the Washington Post published a long article depicting how Google, Microsoft, Apple and Facebook are planning to protect user data against state surveillance defying the government. For now, the companies have released statements claiming their legal teams are working to update their policies to enable the companies notify users if their data is accessed by the authorities.
So, basically, there is no change yet, it is just a declaration of the intention. The privacy and security demagogy in the post-Snowden era works like a lullaby – the tech companies are making outraged statements, rolling their eyes in awe, introducing encryption and making other populist moves to sing the angry users back to sleep. So, what is it this time?
When and if these companies adopt new Privacy Policies, Microsoft, Google, Apple and Facebook will notify their users if they receive government demands to get hold of user data – personal, private emails, login IPs, browsing history, you name it. The prosecutors are appalled because it will make “our country less secure.” Such notifications will make it next to impossible to catch the crooks, putting thousands of lives at danger, especially the victims’. It will interfere with the ongoing investigations, making the hard work of persecuting the criminals dwindle down to nothing.
“Microsoft, Facebook and Google all are updating their policies to expand routine notification of users about government data seizures, unless specifically gagged by a judge or other legal authority, officials at all four companies said. Yahoo announced similar changes in July.”
Here comes the best part. The changes do not affect NSA and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court inquiries, which are gagged as a matter of law by default. Other authority departments will have to get a court order explicitly prohibiting the service providers notify the user, or the person of interest.
Google already hatched a privacy policy change, including the exceptions:
“We notify users about legal demands when appropriate, unless prohibited by law or court order.”
Apple's statement:
“Later this month, Apple will update its policies so that in most cases when law enforcement requests personal information about a customer, the customer will receive a notification from Apple.”
The Washington Post focuses on how difficult it actually is for investigating authorities to get the court order, but the bitter taste of yet another tech fable spoils the joy – introducing the privacy policy changes, the tech companies don’t seem to change much.
The bottom line is this – authorities persecuting individual criminals will face even more bureaucracy, putting at risk the witnesses and victims, while those who spy on millions will continue doing so with a 'carte blanche' they always had. Way to go for securing your users.
For more details on the matter, its implications and polemics see the source at The Washington Post.
Stay safe, think critically and let us know what you think in the comments below.
