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Tech firms seek permission to disclose security request data

Google said it has nothing to hide and complies with valid legal requests

By CBR Staff Writer

Three major US tech firms, Google, Microsoft and Facebook have urged the government to allow them publish more national security request data.

Google sent a letter to the offices of the Attorney General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation seeking permission to publish aggregate numbers of national security requests, including Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) disclosures.

Google chief legal officer, David Drummond, said the company has nothing to hide and complies with valid legal requests.

He added: "Google’s numbers would clearly show that our compliance with these requests falls far short of the claims being made."

The company noted that the government authorised the recent disclosure of general numbers for national security letters and there has been no adverse impact from its publication.

Microsoft said permitting greater transparency on the aggregate volume and scope of national security requests, including FISA orders, would help the community understand and debate these important issues.

Facebook general counsel Ted Ullyot was quoted by Reuters as saying that: "We would welcome the opportunity to provide a transparency report that allows us to share with those who use Facebook around the world a complete picture of the government requests we receive, and how we respond."

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Google, Microsoft and Facebook were among the nine firms, whose systems were tapped by the National Security Agency (NSA) and FBI to collect the users data.

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