s1LX

Google hooks up with US spy agency

// February 5th, 2010 // p2p

p2pnet view Politics | Advertising:- The arrogance which is giant US advertising company Google knows no bounds. It has its own political arm, it has minions carefully placed in middle and senior positions in the Obama administration, its executives routinely whine and I dine powerful political figures, it’s in the process of corralling the world’s books and now, “Google links up with US spy-master to thwart threats to cyberspace” as a Times Online headline sums it up. Thwarting threats to cyberspace? That looks dire. But it’s all about getting USA taxpayers involved in funding its continuing efforts against China, whose hackers recently (and effortlessly, with Microsoft’s help ) breached its security fences. Thanks to its pals in the US government, it’s felt free  to rope in  spy unit the National Security Agency for “technical assistance”. EPIC (The Electronic Privacy Information Center) has already filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the NSA for records on the relationship between the two. “The EPIC FOIA request also seeks NSA communications with Google regarding Google’s failure to encrypt Gmail and cloud computing services,” it says, pointing almost a year ago, it’d filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission urging it to “investigate the adequacy of Google’s cloud computing privacy and security safeguards”. Members of the NSA’s information assurance unit, aka The Blue Team, “went to Google at the company’s request several weeks ago to discuss details of the attack,” says Bloomberg News , quoting an anonymous source,  and going on: “The NSA plans to return to the company to continue to share information, the person said.” But so far, “the NSA hasn’t discovered much beyond what the Mountain View, California-based company’s own cyber-security officials had found”. Nor, apparently, is Gargoyle the only company US taxpayers are helping out via the NSA. “The NSA was responding to Google in much the same way it has to requests from other companies to look over the work they’ve done following a cyber attack, the person said, declining to name the other firms,” says the story. Says ConsumerWatchdog ’s John Simpson > > > NSA, of course, is the agency that taps all sorts of electronic communications around the globe. They’re also the outfit that broke the law and engaged in warrant-less interception of Americans’ phone calls and emails after the 9/11 terrorist attack. Cyber security is a huge issue that is downplayed by the online industry.  Google was right to go public when it was attacked, but the proposed Google-NSA deal raises huge concerns. Undoubtedly Googlers can learn something from NSA’s master-spy eavesdroppers, but how much of consumers’ data will Google share with the spy agency? So far Google and NSA aren’t commenting on the details of what’s under consideration. “It’s incumbent on both parties to be completely transparent about what kind of information is being shared,” says Simpson, adding: “Sadly, NSA has already demonstrated a willingness to flout the law. If Google wants to maintain any shred of trust from consumers it needs to do more that pledge, ‘privacy is important’ and fall back on the ‘Don’t be evil’ mantra. Tell us exactly what you’re doing with NSA’s cyber spies.” - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi Times Online – Google links up with US spy-master to thwart threats to cyberspace, February 5, 2010 EPIC – EPIC Seeks Records on Google-NSA Relationship, February 4, 2010 Microsoft’s help – Internet Explorer ‘vector’ in Google China attacks, January 15, 2010 Bloomberg News – Google Said to Seek Spy Agency’s Advice After Attack, February 4, 2010 ConsumerWatchdog – Google asking spy agency for help, February 4, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? -