Surveillance Nets and the Collapse of Trust - The PRISM Case and the Corporate Backlash (2013)

Surveillance Nets and the Collapse of Trust - The PRISM Case and the Corporate Backlash (2013)

In 2013, Edward Snowden's revelations revealed the existence of the NSA's PRISM surveillance program, which operated legally under the FISA Act and provided data to IT giants such as Google and Microsoft in response to government requests. At the same time, however, it was also revealed that the NSA and the UK's GCHQ were pursuing the "MUSCULAR" program to intercept communications between data centers without the cooperation of companies, and Silicon Valley reacted violently, feeling betrayed. Anger and disappointment spread within the company, and symbols ridiculing the NSA were shared, decisively undermining the trust relationship with the government.

At the time, surveillance authority was expanding rapidly in the "war on terror" following 9/11, and the spread of social networking services and cloud computing was generating vast amounts of personal information. When the reality of surveillance was exposed, the liberal image of the U.S. was damaged, and the international community strongly criticized the U.S. The EU, under the banner of "digital sovereignty," promoted discussions on the GDPR and data transfer regulations. In addition, China and Russia criticized the U.S. double standards and used them as justification for their own strict Internet controls.

In response, companies issued transparency reports, strengthened encryption of communications between data centers, and expanded privacy protection measures. Apple, Google, and others also issued an open letter titled "Reform Government Surveillance" calling for institutional reform. These developments led to the passage of the USA FREEDOM Act in 2015, which prompted a global rethinking of the balance between surveillance and privacy, national security, and freedom.