Tech Demands Surveillance Limits

Better late than never? In the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations about the National Security Agency’s spying program, eight Internet giants launched a public campaign for the U.S. government to limit its surveillance through their companies. Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo, LinkedIn, and AOL published an open letter in several newspapers on Monday calling on the government to end bulk collection of user data, including email, address books, and video chats. According to information leaked by Snowden, the NSA targeted some of these companies, leading Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo to increase encryption efforts. President Obama promised last week to propose reforms to NSA to ensure Americans’ privacy.