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US appeals court says NSA can keep mum on deal with Google
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Google Guy
May 11, 2012, 8:50:04 PM5/11/12
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http://ca.news.yahoo.com/us-spy-agency-keep-mum-google-ties-court-195145311.html
US spy agency can keep mum on Google ties: court
The top-secret US National Security Agency is not required to reveal any
deal it may have with Google to help protect against cyber attacks, an
appeals court ruled Friday.
The US Court of Appeals in Washington upheld a lower court decision that
said the NSA need not confirm or deny any relationship with Google,
because its governing statutes allow it keep such information secret.
The ruling came in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from
a public interest group, which said the public has a right to know about
any spying on citizens.
The appeals court agreed that the NSA can reject the request, and does
not even have to confirm whether it has any arrangement with the
Internet giant.
"Any information pertaining to the relationship between Google and NSA
would reveal protected information about NSA's implementation of its
information assurance mission," Judge Janice Rogers Brown wrote in the
appeals opinion.
The non-profit Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a
formal request to make public documents related to the dealings, and
said much of the information had already been in news media.
The request stemmed from a January 2010 cyber attack on Google that
primarily targeted the Gmail email accounts of Chinese human rights
activists.
According to the Google blog, the Internet group's chief legal officer
David Drummond stated that the firm was notifying other companies that
may have been targeted and was also working with the relevant US
authorities.
The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post reported that Google had
contacted the NSA immediately following the attack.
According to news reports, the NSA agreed to help Google analyze the
attacks in a bid to better protect the California-based search company
and its users from future intrusions.
The reported alliance would seek to allow the spy agency to evaluate
Google's hardware and software vulnerabilities, as well as estimate the
sophistication of its adversary in order to help the firm understand
whether it has the right defenses in place.
Privacy advocates already critical of Google policies regarding saving
user data and targeting ads to match online behavior patterns fear that
an alliance with the spy network could put private information at risk.
US spy agency can keep mum on Google ties: court
The top-secret US National Security Agency is not required to reveal any
deal it may have with Google to help protect against cyber attacks, an
appeals court ruled Friday.
The US Court of Appeals in Washington upheld a lower court decision that
said the NSA need not confirm or deny any relationship with Google,
because its governing statutes allow it keep such information secret.
The ruling came in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from
a public interest group, which said the public has a right to know about
any spying on citizens.
The appeals court agreed that the NSA can reject the request, and does
not even have to confirm whether it has any arrangement with the
Internet giant.
"Any information pertaining to the relationship between Google and NSA
would reveal protected information about NSA's implementation of its
information assurance mission," Judge Janice Rogers Brown wrote in the
appeals opinion.
The non-profit Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a
formal request to make public documents related to the dealings, and
said much of the information had already been in news media.
The request stemmed from a January 2010 cyber attack on Google that
primarily targeted the Gmail email accounts of Chinese human rights
activists.
According to the Google blog, the Internet group's chief legal officer
David Drummond stated that the firm was notifying other companies that
may have been targeted and was also working with the relevant US
authorities.
The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post reported that Google had
contacted the NSA immediately following the attack.
According to news reports, the NSA agreed to help Google analyze the
attacks in a bid to better protect the California-based search company
and its users from future intrusions.
The reported alliance would seek to allow the spy agency to evaluate
Google's hardware and software vulnerabilities, as well as estimate the
sophistication of its adversary in order to help the firm understand
whether it has the right defenses in place.
Privacy advocates already critical of Google policies regarding saving
user data and targeting ads to match online behavior patterns fear that
an alliance with the spy network could put private information at risk.
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