07 Jun, 2013 US spy agencies mined data from Microsoft, Apple and Yahoo Recent allegations that US spy agencies gained access to the central servers of nine major firms including Microsoft, Apple, Google, Yahoo and Facebook has caused controversy around the globe. All of the technology giants involved have denied giving the US government direct access to their systems, ensuring customers that all their data is kept secure. The National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation accessed the central servers of nine U.S. Internet companies extracting audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents and connection logs, the Washington Post and the U.K.-based Guardian reported late yesterday, citing documents they obtained. Code-named PRISM, the program traces its roots to warrantless domestic surveillance efforts under former President George W. Bush. The nine technology companies "knowingly participate in PRISM operations," the Post report said, citing a slide presentation dated April 2013. "We have never heard of PRISM," said Steve Dowling, a spokesman for Cupertino, California-based Apple. "We do not provide any government agency with direct access to our servers and any government agency requesting customer data must get a court order." U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper defended the program as crucial and said procedures ensure only foreign nationals outside the U.S. are targeted. "Information collected under this program is among the most important and valuable foreign intelligence information we collect, and is used to protect our nation from a wide variety of threats," he said in a statement circulated via e-mail by the White House.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 10:35:16 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015