In October, the tech industry's biggest companies petitioned congress to reform the US Government's surveillance policies. Now, the firms are taking their pleas global. Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Yahoo and AOL (Engadget's parent company) have banded together to ask the world's governments to reassess its intelligence practices. This time, however, the firms are presenting more than a strongly worded letter - they've laid out five core reform principals, detailed both on an official website and in full-page ads in national publications.
The breakdown is fairly straightforward; the group asks that government authority be imposed with "sensible limitations on their ability to compel service providers to disclose user data," considering privacy and the trust that is required between technology providers and users. The group also calls for increased oversight, accountability and transparency, describing a system that allows companies to publish the nature and frequency of requests of user information attached to a "clear legal framework in which executive powers are subject tot strong checks and balances." Governments are encouraged to work together too, to create a "robust, principled and transparent framework to govern lawful request for data across jurisdictions. Underlining all this is a demand that these changes respect the flow of information, and ensure service providers are able to build infrastructure on a global scale without being required to store data inside the country for the sake of government inquiry.
Finally, the group followed up with an open letter to Washington, asking the US Government to lead the changes necessary to bring this future to pass.
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