Silicon Valley must keep the spies out of its honey trap

[Commentary] The internet and social network companies of Silicon Valley enjoy one of the world’s most attractive business models. Offer a free service, collect personal data, use it to lure advertisers, and expand seamlessly across the US and around the world to millions of users. Unfortunately, the spies noticed.

This week’s appeal to governments by eight companies, including Google and Microsoft, in the wake of revelations in The Guardian and The Washington Post about National Security Agency surveillance, is a typical blend of noble aspiration, self-interest and naivety. Ultimately, it is useless. If you have a jar of jam, expect wasps. Silicon Valley has to help itself, and it has done too little to stem a loss of confidence in how it operates around the world. The companies’ open letter puts the responsibility for reform on governments that are not likely to help, while emanating corporate inertia.

The companies urgently need to re-establish their credibility as stewards of confidential information, rather than conduits to the NSA. Failing in that task will cause a lot more long-term damage than adjusting the operating model. Blue-sky thinking about the future of technology will not cut it this time.