Microsoft And Google Ask Government For Data Request Transparency

Microsoft and Google are often at odds with one another over issues of competition and innovation, yet, when it comes to data request transparency, they appear at least on the surface to agree. Both companies on Tuesday requested that the government be more transparent with the data and other information it requests and then collects from American companies.

According to Microsoft:

“[P]ermitting greater transparency on the aggregate volume and scope of national security requests, including FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) orders, would help the community understand and debate these important issues.”

You may recall that on Monday Google posted the following request for a more transparent government data collection system:

“… We therefore ask you to help make it possible for Google to publish in our Transparency Report aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures—in terms of both the number we receive and their scope. Google’s numbers would clearly show that our compliance with these requests falls far short of the claims being made. Google has nothing to hide.”

Google and Microsoft released public statements just a short time after they came under fire for participating in the NSA PRISM program. That NSA platform allowed the spy agency to collect billions of records from American citizens.

As Microsoft continued to argue its case on Tuesday, a rep for the company said Microsoft has released information “as far as [it] legally could” in its disclosures of government requests for data.

Microsoft would like US government officials to “take action to allow companies to provide additional transparency.”

Verizon Wireless has so far retained much of the public’s scrutiny after it was revealed that millions of Verizon customers had their phone records obtained by the NSA. Verizon has said it was only adhering to a court order for its records.

Are Microsoft and Google correct? Should the government offer more transparency when collecting the private records of US citizens?