On March 20th, 2012, John P. Mello Jr. wrote for PCWorld on a legal battle over information on a possible secret deal between the NSA and Google. The NSA apparently struck a deal with Google after Operation Aurora, the 2010 Chinese-backed cyberattack on Google. According to the article, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the NSA to figure out more about this deal.
The article explained how the EPIC wants all records of the agreement, communication records evidencing Google's failure to encrypt Gmail messages, and communication records regarding Google's "failure to routinely deploy encryption for cloud-based computer service."
However, the NSA declined the FOIA request and refused to acknowledge the deal. Specifically, the NSA cited concerns that the information could put US government systems in danger of cyberattack. A federal district court judge came down on the NSA's side. The EPIC has appealed that decision.
You can find the PCWorld source article here.
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