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Yahoo and Facebook Join Google In FISC Petition After Government Talks Fail
msm1267 writes "Google, Yahoo and Facebook filed amended requests today with the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court reiterating their desire to publish numbers on requests for user data related to national security. Google, meanwhile, went a step further asking for an open, public hearing with the court so that the issue could be publicly debated."
Statements from Yahoo's general counsel (filed motion [PDF]) and Facebook's general counsel (filed motion [PDF]). According to Facebook, "In recent weeks, it has become clear that the dialogue with the U.S. government that produced some additional transparency at the outset is at this point unlikely to result in more progress. As a result, today we are joining others in the industry in petitioning the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to require the government to permit companies to disclose more information about the volume and types of national security-related orders they receive."
There's no constitutional or legal basis for them not releasing it. If any any NSA or lawyer human filth shows up and says otherwise a bullet in the head will fix it.
Problem solved.
As much as myself and others may dislike the way Google does certain things, they are primarily an advertising company and they have to turn a profit. That they are big enough to take the risk of standing up for our freedoms speaks volumes about the stewardship of the company. Let the Google bashers come out, but as they say, Haters Gonna Hate.
Silence is a state of mime.
First, note the name of the court. Second, consider the surveillance Google et al would like to discuss.
When Google, Yahoo, and Facebook join together to assert that the state of surveillance on the internet is out of hand, you know you are totally fucked.
It's like having the horsemen of the apocalypse criticizing your policy decisions.
As the saying goes, "It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission."
The mind conceives, the body achieves, the spirit manifests.
What's with Yahoo's lawyers? Their motion is filed as a scanned pdf file -- no searchable text.
I can understand the need to do this with redacted documents, but this document contains no redactions. It's the 21st centary already, why can't Zwillgen PLLC get with the times already?
The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
Some of the parties that previously conspired to spy on the citizens of this planet, were caught spying, then developed a conscience. Perhaps they will succeed and then they can pinky promise not to spy.
Unfortunately the damage from spying is abstract. some of it is measurable in the billions, but mostly not.
Between them Google, Yahoo and Facebook pretty much own the American Government. How much does it cost to buy an American politician these days?
Are they also going to ask the government whether they have installed a special hardware inside their network and cloud servers? Or this is another story...
Am I the only one at /. that doesn't want to entrust the welfare of my fellow Americans' national security to international corporations? WTF?
Yes, it is the 21st century, and the NSA has access to everyone's electronic files.
So, I guess Yahoo's lawyers are off-the-grid (so to speak) to maintain privacy?
I wish these corporations would show as much ballz in this matter as they do when they attack each other. Then maybe they would simply publish the "forbidden" data, and let the chips fall where they may. And that's definitely a way to get this whole mess to court. Come on, corporations, what do you say? You have all the legal rights of a "natural" person (and then some) and none of the responsibilities, so why not take your best shot? It's not like the feds have enough money to survive all the litigation that would ensue.
There's no constitutional or legal basis for them not releasing it
I am afraid that we are living in a world where the CONSTITUTION ain't worth a shit to those in power.
To us, the powerless the CONSTITUTION still means something - because it serves as a shield against abuse.
But to those living and working inside Washington D.C., the CONSTITUTION is anything but a mere piece of paper, as for them, POWER IS EVERYTHING.
Their subjugation of their subjects (aka, people like you and me) did not start yesterday. It started DECADES AGO, it's only now that they have gained so much power that they have become SO EMBOLDEN that they dare to publicly dis-regard the Constitution and everything that was stated inside the Constitution.
Who is to blame for it ? Them in Washington, D.C., or us, the voters who voted them in, every fucking four years, without fail ?
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
Google, Yahoo, and Facebook weren't this vocal before the Snowden Chronicles. Disingenuous bullshit from all.
Disingenuous bullshit or otherwise, where the hell is MICROSOFT ?
Maybe Google, Facebook, Yahoo are not sincere (and most probably they are not) in their latest publicity stunt, but at least, they are putting up a dog and pony show.
On the other hand, MICROSOFT's silence all these while is really deafening.
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
But if you're chinese in china, how (aside from being a rich oligarch) are you going to use the internet at all without a firewall?
How disingenuous you want to become ?
I am a Chinese and I am an American citizen, and I do have business in China, and yes, I sometime find myself INSIDE CHINA.
But the key point is NOT what's happening in China - for China, at least, up to now, NEVER PRETEND TO BE A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY.
China never, at least not to my knowledge, use "human rights", "democracy", "equality" and all those shit, as "weapons of publicity" to shame other countries.
On the other hand, my country, the United States of America, has been doing just that, for at least the past 5 decades.
The United States has criticized other countries, from Russia to China to Sudan to North Korea for their lack of "democracy", "human rights", "equality" (not that those countries don't deserved to be criticized") but I find it utterly hypocritical for the United States, and for YOU, to use China as the RED HERRING to shore up your inane argument FOR the current repressive government of the United States of America.
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
Are they also going to ask the government whether they have installed a special hardware inside their network and cloud servers?
There is no need for any SPECIAL HARDWARE at all.
All NSA need is to use Cisco devices, which comes with NSA backdoor, pre-installed.
...to pass laws abridging THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH, or the PRESS...
These companies don't need to beg the government or grovel before any court. The Constitution grants them the right to free speech, INCLUDING the right to disclose what the GOVERNMENT is demanding of them to violate their customers.
It's time to quit ACCEPTING the premise of this kind of government power and authority. It's time to start showing the Obama Regime the SAME LEVEL OF RESPECT it's showing to the Constitution!
Corporatism != Free Market
This is where US starts to loose it's dominance of the major power controlling the internet.
The big American software and internet companies will never enjoy the same confidence as before. A few years from now we'll start to see non-american alternatives to Google, Facebook, Microsoft and their likes, and re-routing of major international data hardlines and junctions.
100 years from now people will be wearing Swonden masks instead of Guy Fawkes
All at the same time - would the Government shut down Facebook, Google, Yahoo etc.? That might finally be the thing that made Americans take note of just how far their freedoms have been shoved up the governments ass.
Just do it anyway, even if they know it'll cause a stir. Then, apologize for it later, but continue anyway since the "damage" has already been done and they can get back to the immortal corporate duel for monopoly (this time the fight's over spying... "There can be only ONE!").
Just like everything else they do.
The people who live in DC have no power. Or at least no more power than you or I.
Care to elaborate where that Casa Blanca is located ?
Inside, or outside of the Washington, D.C. ?
Care to elucidate the extent of the power that fella who lives inside that Casa Blanca ?
Google knowns damn well that the secret court is not going to give a blessing for a public debate. Clearly google is only trying to save face with the public.
It is very true that ere is no way past a system that is set up and plays unto itself. It's like playing monopoly where the bank isn't giving up cash except for itself...oh, wait....
While looking around at NSA/FISA mandated backdoors both Adobe Flash and Java should be explored.