Is there any evidence that any companies were willingly going along with PRISM? Seems like they were under gag orders and potential fines (Yahoo said $250K a day). Not sure what choice they had.
Though MS accessing user's data via Hotmail for internal review really does scuttle their credibility.
> Is there any evidence that any companies were willingly going along with PRISM? Seems like they were under gag orders and potential fines (Yahoo said $250K a day). Not sure what choice they had.
I'm not aware of any evidence of their intent, no, just that they assisted in collection. I believe Glenn Greenwald has stated that they were a willing and proactive participant, but that that information came from NSA internal forums and not official documentation so it would not be released.
I don't think it really matters though. Whether they were willing or not, the end result is the same. If you don't trust the USG, you cannot trust US corporations (yes, of course this applies not just to the US but others as well; it's just that we currently have more information about the fiveeyes programs, and the US is a big player geopolitically so they have interests to protect in a lot of areas).
On an more personal level, I would say that even if they collaborated with this under legal threats, they are still morally responsible for their decisions to support the surveillance state. I cannot accept that we give people or companies a clean slate for evil just because they had financial interests to protect. Everyone has financial interests to protect, and it's usually more convenient to ignore evil than to put oneself at risk.
I would say that even if they collaborated with this under legal threats, they are still morally responsible for their decisions to support the surveillance state
Perhaps, but at some point they have to be excused if they were complying with the law. It's our jobs as citizens to ensure we have the right laws. In a way, it's kind of like blaming the soldiers for the 2003 Iraq war. I don't blame them. I want them to fight their guts out believing that they are answering their highest calling (otherwise they lessen their odds of surviving it).
But I want the sonofabitch who sent them there and caused the deaths of all those innocent Iraqis to go to jail.
Though MS accessing user's data via Hotmail for internal review really does scuttle their credibility.