Yahoo asked US spy agencies Wednesday to offer public "transparency" about data they make internet companies provide on users and to declassify any secret order served on the company. The European Commission in July launched the EU-US "Privacy Shield" framework, aimed at protecting the personal data of Europeans that is stored in the United States. The call for declassification echoed that made earlier this month by Senator Ron Wyden, a critic of US dragnet surveillance activities. The New York Times and Reuters both reported this month that Yahoo had customized email scanning systems to conduct the searches. The surveillance reporting about Yahoo came as the company also worked to surmount revelations last month about the massive theft of user data in late 2014 by state-sponsored hackers, possibly affecting 500 million user accounts.

Source: Egypt Independent October 19, 2016 23:26 UTC