Steven Porter

Google published eight National Security Letters (NSLs) online that had previously been subject to controversial gag orders.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which issued the secret subpoena-like requests for digital records between 2010 and 2015, gave the company permission in October to make the records public, lifting nondisclosure requirements that had legally prevented Google from even acknowledging publicly that the letters exist. Privacy advocates praised the news as a positive, albeit modest, step toward protecting free speech by reining in government surveillance. "It’s a small amount of progress," said Andrew Crocker, staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "It’s only eight out of tens of thousands, really hundreds of thousands over the course of the years that FBI has been using these in this way."

After the American Civil Liberties Union released a report showing that Chicago-based startup Geofeedia had been contracted by multiple law enforcement agencies to conduct social media surveillance, Twitter announced that it had suspended the company's access to commercial data for developers.

While police contend the service can help them spot problems in real-time during large gatherings, the ACLU says the software can be easily used to track peaceful protesters and other groups. Twitter's decision drew praise from privacy activists and highlighted tensions between police and the American public. There are some circumstances in which law enforcement could appropriately utilize social-media monitoring, but there need to be clear policies with safeguards and audits built in, said San Jose Independent Police Auditor Walter Katz, whose office investigates complaints lodged against the city's officers.