By Cliff Montgomery – Aug. 26th, 2012
It’s clear that America’s War of Terror is a war without a declared enemy – a war designed to fight bogeymen inthe dark, and prepared to invent bogeymen when none exist.
It is designed to be a never-ending conflict. In short, it is a tyrant’s dream. Those in power may forever overturnthe most basic human rights to preserve a feigned ‘security’.
But of course simple logic forces one to ask: Who will help us to protect ourselves from our self-proclaimedprotectors?
Top privacy watchdog Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) rose this question with a fascinating study it released in May.
“The Electronic Frontier Foundation examined the policies of 18 major Internet companies — including emailproviders, ISPs, cloud storage providers, and social networking sites — to assess whether they publiclycommit to standing with users when the government seeks access to user data,” stated the report.
Below, The American Spark quotes from the executive summary of EFF’s short, easy-to-understand study:
“When you use the Internet, you entrust your online conversations, thoughts, experiences, locations, photos,and more to companies like Google, AT&T and Facebook.
“But what happens when the government demands that these companies hand over your private information?Will the company stand with you? Will it tell you that the government is looking for your data so that you cantake steps to protect yourself?
“The Electronic Frontier Foundation examined the policies of 18 major Internet companies — including emailproviders, ISPs, cloud storage providers, and social networking sites — to assess whether they publicly committo standing with users when the government seeks access to user data.
“We looked at their terms of service, privacy policies, and published law enforcement guides, if any.
“We also examined their track record of fighting for user privacy in the courts and whether they’re members ofthe Digital Due Process coalition, which works to improve outdated communications law.
“Finally, we contacted each of the companies with our conclusions and gave them an opportunity to respondand provide us evidence of improved policies and practices.
“These categories are not the only ways that a company can stand up for users, of course, but they areimportant and publicly verifiable.
“While some Internet companies have stepped up for users in particular situations, it’s time for all companiesthat hold private user data to make public commitments to defend their users against government overreach.
“The purpose of this report is to incentivize companies to be transparent about what data flows to thegovernment and encourage them to take a stand for user privacy when it is possible to do so.”
