Tech Musing #3 - Moving on from One Man (Snowden) Standing up Against the Government to a Whole Corporation (Microsoft)

Tech Musing #3
Microsoft Sues Justice Department over Gag Order Statute
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/technology/microsoft-sues-us-over-orders-barring-it-from-revealing-surveillance.html

It has been almost a month since Apple and the FBI started their discrepancy about the release of personal information from an Apple product to the government for national security issues. This created a countrywide debate about the government’s right to access information without their permission. With all the talk slowly dying down about the San Bernardino incident between the FBI and Apple Corporation, Microsoft has started a new fight with the United States Government. This is the first time a corporation has been on the attack for these privacy issues. Just like Edward Snowden, someone needed to step up and support the public in the United States. However, this time it was a whole corporation that took the effort to stop this break of privacy issue. As of this past week, Microsoft has decided to sue the United States Justice Department and challenge the government for the orders they have been making Microsoft fulfill.

Last Thursday morning in Federal District Court, Microsoft asserted that the gag order statute in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 is unconstitutional. They claimed that the government breached the company’s First Amendment right to speak to its customers to notify them of what data and information the government wants to access. Since September 2014, the federal government has demanded 5,624 times that they receive Microsoft customer information or data; over half of these were pressured on Microsoft as an order of secrecy. This means that at least 6 people a day were having their information and data compromised by the government without them even knowing because Microsoft was not allowed to notify them.

The importance of this issue in information systems continues from case to case. It became very apparent and public with Apple and now other companies are starting to step up against the government. People around the world expect certain things about the technology they are using and the products they receive from tech companies. Privacy is a huge issue as life becomes more dependable on technology and starts to revolve around it. Employees in this company spend years developing secure networks, data centers and devices that protect the privacy of people’s information. The use of information systems helps protect from other customers, other companies, hackers and crackers around the world. If companies are being forced to release information about their customers and the data their customers own to governments the purpose of information security is completely defeated. This not only makes their customers vulnerable but the company vulnerable as well. When companies give away information about their customers, the customers lose trust in the company and start to invest elsewhere with their purchases and technology use.

This issue also hits heart to every corporation’s values. Microsoft’s number one value is to evolve the world with mobile and cloud technology through honesty and integrity. How can Microsoft be honest with their customers if they are being forced to keep compromised data a secret? As the world grows through technology it is important for us all to understand and be aware of how our information is being shared and how governments and companies are manipulating technology to access private information. Thankfully Microsoft is on our side with honesty and wants to put their customers first before anything else. Hopefully they will be able to fight for the public and help start the change in law to decrease the government’s constant pressure of breaking privacy regulations set by corporations and natural law ethics.