Technology companies call for more NSA transparency

Summary: Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and more join forces to request NSA data is made public.

After having their reputation damaged by the National Security Agency controversy earlier this year, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and many more are joining forces to demand more transparency regarding NSA requests and surveillance (via AllThingsD).

The 63 companies, investors, and non-profit organizations are pleading with the U.S. government to allow Internet, phone, and other service providers to share the requests that they receive for user data, including:

·         The number of government requests for information about their users

·         The number of individuals, accounts, or devices for which information was requested

·         The number of requests that sought communications content, basic subscriber information, and/or other information

“Basic information about how the government uses its various law enforcement–related exploratory authorities has been published for years without any apparent distraction to criminal investigations,” a copy of the letter obtained by AllThingsD reads. “We seek permission for the same information to be made available regarding the government’s national security–related authorities. This information about how and how often the government is using these legal authorities is important to the American people, who are entitled to have an informed public debate about the suitability of those authorities and their use.”

Apple and Google have both made their thoughts on the NSA scandal and user privacy clear, with Google even beefing up encryption on some of its services.