A 2013 guide illustrating which companies help protect your data from the Government.
When you use the Internet, you entrust your conversations, thoughts, experiences, locations, photos, and more to companies like Google, AT&T and Facebook. But what do these companies do when the government demands your private information? Do they stand with you? Do they let you know what’s going on? This report will allow us to recognize and applaud those that do and condemn those that don't.
Out of the following 6 categories:
- Requires a warrant for content
- Tells users about government data requests
- Publishes transparency reports
- Publishes law enforcement guidelines
- Fights for users' privacy rights in court
- Fights for users' privacy rights in Congress
...guess which major company didn't earn so much as a single star!
Survey Says.....Ding .....
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It's worth noting that Apple and AT&T are tied in second for worst scores.
In this annual report, the Electronic Frontier Foundation examined the policies of major Internet companies — including ISPs, Mobile/Telco providers, email providers, cloud storage providers, location-based services, blogging platforms, and social networking sites — to assess whether they publicly commit to standing with users when the government seeks access to user data. The purpose of this report is to bring forth incentives for companies to be transparent about how data flows to the government and encourage them to take a stand for user privacy whenever it is possible to do so.
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For the 2013 report, the EFF used the following six criteria to assess company practices and policies:
Require a warrant for content of communications. In this new category, companies earn recognition if they require the government to obtain a warrant supported by probable cause before they will hand over the content of user communications. This policy ensures that private messages stored by online services like Facebook, Google, and Twitter are treated consistently with the protections of the Fourth Amendment.
Tell users about government data requests. To earn a star in this category, Internet companies must promise to tell users when the government seeks their data unless prohibited by law. This gives users a chance to defend themselves against overreaching government demands for their data.
Publish transparency reports. We award companies a star in this category if they publish statistics on how often they provide user data to the government.
Publish law enforcement guidelines. Companies get a star in this category if they make public policies or guidelines they have explaining how they respond to data demands from the government, such as guides for law enforcement.
Fight for users’ privacy rights in courts. To earn recognition in this category, companies must have a public record of resisting overbroad government demands for access to user content in court.1
Fight for users’ privacy in Congress. Internet companies earn a star in this category if they support efforts to modernize electronic privacy laws to defend users in the digital age by joining the Digital Due Process Coalition.
For the full report and in-depth analysis, please visit the EFF's site and full article:
A big thanks goes out to stealthmouse for bringing this article to light.
A MONSTER thanks goes out to the EFF for standing by our sides and fighting for us and the rights of all!
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