An Open Letter to Companies Implicated in the PRISM Program

In the wake of revelations that the National Security Administration obtained private user data from several technology companies, Human Rights First President and CEO Elisa Massimino sent a letter to AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Pal Talk, Skype, Yahoo!, and YouTube, urging them to continue to press the U.S. government to allow them to disclose PRISM requests as part of their regular reports on government requests. Human Rights First calls on the government to use its discretion to provide permission to assure Americans that their personal data is safe from indiscriminate surveillance. The letter also details ways in which companies can inform the public of how their data and privacy is safeguarded.