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Google: The levels of secrecy that have built up around national security requests undermine the basic freedoms that are at the heart of a democratic society

The NSA’s $2b data centre in Bluffdale, Utah (source: businessweek.com)

Google today said that it was filing an amended petition (PDF) in the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court which mirrors requests made to Congress and the President a letter (PDF) earlier this year.  In conjunction with other industry player and civil liberties groups, Google is asking:

to be allowed to publish detailed statistics about the types (if any) of national security requests we receive under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, including Section 702. Given the important public policy issues at stake, we have also asked the court to hold its hearing in open rather than behind closed doors. It’s time for more transparency.

In addition, along with a number of other companies and trade associations, we are meeting the President’s Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies today. We’ll reiterate the same message there: that the levels of secrecy that have built up around national security requests undermine the basic freedoms that are at the heart of a democratic society. 

Google is also beefing up its encryption between data centers in response to multiple reports that the NSA has access to Google and every other major technology company’s Data.

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