At Progress, we work for various organisations that protect data, offer solutions to counter cyberattacks, or promise that keeping data in the Netherlands shields it from access by foreign governments.
I have therefore followed Edward Snowden’s revelations with great interest. The former NSA employee told the British newspaper The Guardian last week that the US government was collecting private information on a large scale from users of internet services such as Google and Facebook, under the name PRISM. The media have portrayed Snowden as both a hero and a traitor. For me, the truth lies somewhere in between. To put it mildly, I find it undesirable for the operations of any intelligence service to be made public. On the other hand, a great deal is now permitted in the name of counterterrorism. I would welcome more debate about when privacy is still truly private.
Last Friday, the United States tried to reassure Europe. US Attorney General Holder said PRISM focused only on individual cases or specific groups suspected of terrorist activity or cybercrime, rather than mass data mining. That sounds reassuring, but the Americans also introduced the controversial Patriot Act following the September 2001 attacks. Its purpose was to give the US government greater powers to gather information and act in cases of possible terrorism.
And that is the key phrase: ‘possible terrorism’. It means the US government may also be given access to the SkyDrive accounts of users who are potentially under suspicion. Have you ever considered that the photos you store on a service such as SkyDrive may sit on American servers and therefore be subject to US law if an issue arises?
There is no need to panic. But Snowden’s revelations, combined with the growing amount of data we store in the cloud, are a reminder to be careful. Think before sharing or storing files through free or paid online tools. The country in which data is stored can affect the laws that apply to it, and in some cases it is worth checking where the servers are located. In my view, this is something individuals should consider and organisations need to take seriously.
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