Tech company Yahoo has called on the U.S government to explain why the spy agencies compelled the internet giant to scan millions of its users' email accounts. This message was sent in a letter on Wednesday, following the surveillance system that Yahoo apparently had to build in order to check all incoming emails for specific users.
Yahoo Wants U.S. To Declassify Surveillance Order
Separately, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a motion the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, requesting the release of the specific NBC, Yahoo requested the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to declassify the surveillance order the company received.
"Yahoo was mentioned specifically in these reports and we find ourselves unable to respond in detail. We urge your office to consider the following actions to provide clarity on the matter: (i) confirm whether an order, as described in media reports, was issued; (ii) declassify in whole or in part the order, if it exists; and (iii) make a sufficiently detailed public and contextual comment to clarify the alleged facts and circumstances." Yahoo's general counsel, Ron Bell wrote in the letter to Clapper.
ACLU Doesn't Understand Government´s Claimed Authority
According to the International Business Times, the Office of Director of National Intelligence confirmed the letter arrival and explained that it will be responded to Yahoo. By its part, ACLU said through a blog post that courts have approved bulk collection of warrantless surveillance of Americans, financial records and widespread government hacking and compel notices against technology firms to reveal source code and identify weakness.
"We are seeking these opinions now because - as the new Yahoo revelations underscore - it simply isn't possible to understand the government's claimed authority to conduct surveillance without these judicial rulings. Congress recognised the importance of transparency in the USA Freedom Act when it required that FISC opinions be made public, but the government has refused to accept that the need for transparency extends to the many foundational FISC opinions that predate the law and remain hidden," staff attorney at the ACLU National Security Project Patrick Toomey said.
