Technology companies may be hiding behind legal jargon to avoid being more forthcoming in their responses to new documents on government surveillance that were disclosed Friday, some experts say.
Internet and software companies including Microsoft, Yahoo, Google and Facebook "are legally compelled to lie," said security expert Bruce Schneier, citing national security letters that companies are prohibited from disclosing.
Some similar statements were made in interviews with the IDG News Service following a report published Friday in The Guardian alleging that the National Security Agency paid millions of dollars to companies such as Google and Facebook to cover costs involved in surveillance.
The tech companies incurred these costs in fulfilling tighter certification requirements after a 2011 court ruling said the government's data collection was unconstitutional, according to documents obtained by The Guardian.
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