Technology
Tech Leaders Lash Out at Government’s Electronic Spying
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who sits on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, called the meeting of tech leaders to discuss how U.S. mass surveillance programs have challenged tech innovation and global competitiveness. Above, Wyden attends an event in Portland in August. (Mike Rogoway/Associated Press)
(Los Angeles Times) – Government spying on electronic communications has outraged Internet users and now threatens to harm technology firms’ ability to do business internationally, tech leaders said during a roundtable discussion.
Executives from Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Dropbox attended the discussion with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), held in the gymnasium of Palo Alto High School on Wednesday.
Wyden, who sits on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, called the meeting to discuss how U.S. mass surveillance programs — exposed last year by Edward Snowden — have challenged tech innovation and global competitiveness.
“It’s clear the global community of Internet users doesn’t like to be caught up in the American surveillance dragnet,” Wyden said. “They’ve embraced technology, but they don’t like it turned against them in a way that doesn’t increase anyone’s security…. In my view, our policy is out of whack.”
