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Tech Companies Aren’t Too Keen on Sharing Information With the Feds

The 2013 Edward Snowden leaks still resonate for tech companies wary of being seen as too aligned with the U.S. government.
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The 2013 Edward Snowden leaks still resonate for tech companies wary of sharing too much information with the feds, reports USA Today:


“U.S. tech companies still don’t trust the federal government enough to share information about cyberthreats, the top cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday.”

The U.S. government still has a long way to before they regain the trust the public that had been lost when Snowden’s leaks revealed the extent of the NSA’s domestic spying program. Snowden also revealed that many top American tech companies were playing an instrumental role in turning over private user information to the government. Currently, the notion of being seen as a government lapdog isn’t entirely appealing for these companies. 

The feds understand this and are eager to restore trust and regain support. Here’s how the USA Today piece describes the current situation:

“Both the Obama administration and Congress are pushing for more information-sharing between the business community and the federal government so that the private and public sectors can help one another detect and thwart cyber criminals.”

Below, Jonathan Zittrain of Harvard University discusses internet trolling, an understudied social phenomenon:

Read more at USA Today.

Photo credit: Patrick Foto / Shutterstock

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