Google and Facebook on Monday petitioned the government’s Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for permission to publish more information on the security requests they receive from the government.
Google said that it wanted to publish detailed statistics about the kind of national security requests it receives. It also asked the court to hold its hearing in the open rather than as usual, behind closed doors.
“It’s time for transparency,” Google said in a
“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.” Facebook said that permission from the government to release more information would help relieve customer concerns about government privacy violations.
Both companies found themselves in the privacy spotlight, along with other major tech companies following the release of information by NSA leaker Edward Snowden.
“The actions and statements of the US government have not adequately addressed the concerns of people around the world about whether their information is safe and secure with Internet companies,” said Facebook general counsel Colin Streth in a company statement.
“We believe there is more information that the public deserves to know, and that would help foster an informed debate about whether government security programs adequately balance privacy interests when attempting to keep the public safe.”