CCIA congratulates Facebook on the release yesterday of their first transparency report. The report, which lists the numbers of government requests for information about Facebook users, will serve to increase users’ trust. Reports such as these have become popular among web companies that store users’ data for them and Facebook’s report helps add to that growing body of information.
The following can be attributed to CCIA Public Policy and Regulatory Counsel Ross Schulman:
“Facebook’s release of transparency data again highlights the fact that companies are forbidden from disclosing the number of government requests that they receive from the National Security Agency under the USAPATRIOT Act and the FISA Amendments Act. We take this opportunity to reiterate our requests to both the Administration and Congress to modify the law to allow for reporting aggregate numbers of surveillance requests from government. This change would drastically increase public trust in both government and web companies, while having little to no effect on counter-terrorism efforts.”
The following can be attributed to CCIA VP Government Relations Cathy Sloan:
“Facebook’s announcement is yet another example of how, in order to establish and maintain consumer confidence and trust, Internet platforms share whatever they can with their users regarding government data requests and insist on appropriate legal process when responding to such requests.”