14 DAY TRIAL // A large number of tech companies and advocacy groups are supporting a move by the US Congress to allow more transparency when it comes to government surveillance.
The list of entities signing the letter seems to never end. AOL, Apple, WordPress, Dropbox, DuckDuckGo, Facebook, Foursquare, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Mozilla, Reddit, Tumblr, Twilio, Twitter and Yahoo are just some of the huge companies on the list.
At the same time, the list of nonprofit organizations and trade organizations goes on for even longer and includes the EFF, Freedom House, Freedom of the Press Foundation, Reporters without Borders, Public Knowledge and more.
All these names are interested in encouraging the Congress to be explicit in allowing tech companies to reveal information about the requests for info.
“We very much look forward to working with the sponsors of S. 1452 and H.R. 3035 to ensure that the goals of those pieces of legislation, and the goals stated in our previous letter, are fully aligned. For example, the Senate bill provides for significant public reporting by the government itself, as requested in our previous letter, and we would welcome the addition of such provisions to the House bill,” reads a letter sent to the committees.
“In conclusion, we are eager to assist your Committees in taking prompt action around these critically important bills, and to share our views as other bills are introduced or move through the Committees. We look forward to working together to achieve passage of legislation that will ensure the level of transparency necessary to appropriately inform the American public and preserve the trust of Internet users around the world,” the letter further states.