Apple is urging the National Security Agency to lift its gag order on the company. The U.S. Government is at the top of Apple’s list for which government requests the most information from Apple concerning its customers.
Much like the change in Google’s privacy policy a little over a year ago, students at Grambling State University find the information of the reveal to be disturbing. Senior education major Arseneaux Robinson is of those students.
“It’s wrong. . .it’s an invasion of privacy,” said Robin- son. “If I wanted the government to know, I’d get on Twitter every few seconds.”
Robinson went further to say that even if Apple were more transparent, it would not necessarily be the best thing for the people. He says, “it would be better, but then people would know what the government knows.”
Apple wants make the company more “transparent” so customers are more aware of how the government may be using the information the firm releases. The company argues the gag order “. . .combines the aggregate data that are of the greatest and most timely public concern, and the greatest concern to Apple and its customers, with other unrelated aggregated data in a deliberate attempt to reduce public knowledge as to the activities of the government.”
Apple’s privacy policy states that it may “disclose information about you if we determine that for purposes of national security, law enforcement, or other issues of public importance, disclosure is necessary or appropriate.”
However, it does not state if or when customers will be notified if their information is released to national security.
In the six months leading up to June 30, the U.S. Government is said to have filed approximately 3,000 in- formation requests. Apples said the “requests involve robberies and other crimes or re- quests from law enforcement officers searching for missing persons.” The information used under these circumstances usually concerns the use of the iTunes or iCloud services. Occasionally, the customer’s address issued.
Apple says it has filed a report with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for a more transparency. The company says it “will continue to aggressively pursue our ability to be more trans- parent.”