Yahoo scanned customer emails for US intelligence
I think the attitude here that most tech companies are rolling over and just complying without a single ethical consideration is misplaced.<p>The government has been doing an excellent job of basically extorting these companies into compliance. They threaten the full weight of the US government&#x27;s wraith and then tie every order up with classifications and gag orders.<p>You aren&#x27;t legally allowed to talk to other companies in the same position. Most your legal team probably doesn&#x27;t get to know what&#x27;s going on. You can&#x27;t take your case to the public without being held in contempt.<p>I&#x27;m not giving these companies a complete pass for being complicit in the erosion of individual&#x27;s civil liberties but treating this as if the decision is easy is vastly unfair.