Consumers, privacy advocates call for investigation into PRISM

The backlash against the PRISM surveillance program, which gives the U.S. government a direct pipeline to data from major consumer technology companies, is in full force with several groups calling for a full Congressional investigation of the program. Companies reported to be a part of the program include Apple, Google and Facebook.

Several of the tech firms have denied participating in or even knowing about PRISM. Internet privacy advocates have decried the government’s secret monitoring. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has raised alarms for years about what it calls “domestic spying” run by the NSA, is asking for support to petition Congress for a full investigation of the program. A Progressive Change Campaign Committee petition calling for a similar investigation has gotten nearly 20,000 signatures in 36 hours. A petition from the progressive technology company CREDO has gotten more than 40,000 signatures asking President Obama to justify the surveillance.