China syndromeGoogle turns to NSA for assistance in thwarting Chinese cyberattacks
Google has developed a reputation as a company that likes to keep its distance from government agencies; the cyberattacks on Google by the Chinese intelligence services has caused Google to reconsider; it is now finalizing a new deal with the NSA to share data – the company’s first formal agreement with the NSA; the spy agency will help Google develop better defenses against Chinese encroachment
Google is detailing a new data-sharing agreement with the hush-hush U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) in order better to protect itself against apparent attacks from China.
John Oates writes that back in 2006, Google claimed lots of positive press coverage for briefly resisting requests for its search data from the U.S. Department of Justice. The firm has generally considered only itself as a safe home for its users’ private data.
Now, though, it is finalizing a new deal with the NSA to share data without breaking either Google’s Ts&Cs or U.S. data protection laws.
Google went to see the spy agency shortly after the Chinese attacks, but the detailed agreement is taking some time to sort out. This will be Google’s first formal agreement with the NSA, according to Washington Post sources.
The paper said the agreement did not mean the NSA would be reading e-mails or looking at search histories. Oates notes that U.S. opinion of the NSA has not really recovered from its warrantless wiretapping extravaganza.
The paper said the deal was focused on testing Google’s defenses against future attacks rather than trying to find out who carried them out. Neither Google nor the NSA would comment but the leak is likely to upset privacy campaigners.
