Tech Giants Press Congress for Surveillance Reform

Send letter to leaders

Facebook, Google, Apple and three other leading technology companies on Thursday called for substantial reforms to the U.S. government's surveillance programs, which have drawn new scrutiny in the aftermath of revelations by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

The letter, sent to top members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, endorses greater transparency in surveillance programs, long a goal for tech companies that must comply with government data requests from around the world. Yet it also goes further, urging U.S. lawmakers to enact reforms that would "include substantial enhancements to privacy protections and appropriate oversight and accountability mechanisms for those programs."