I just noticed this interesting notice posted a few days ago
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/12/09/reform_gov_surveillance_tech_alliance/Eight web heavyweights have banded together to call on the US and other governments to rein in indiscriminate surveillance by state security agencies.
AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo are asking for a general reform of government surveillance laws and practices because the "balance in many countries has tipped too far in favour of the state and away from the rights of the individual”.
While I find it a bit hypocritical of these particular companies fronting the call for a halt to unfettered surveillance it is in fact the common sense approach and one I feel would restore confidence in the usage of online services, many of these big are seeing a worrying trend as customers look for secure alternatives and to overseas service vendors outside of the US sphere of influence, restoring a correct balance of threat level versus proportionality and trust should bring the scales back into alignment.
