The court responsible for reviewing and approving surveillance requests for government agencies is accountable to the government and not "to the trend that promotes justice," one of its top lawyers said today Microsoft.
Mr. Brad Smith from Microsoft's Legal Department, said ότι το Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, το οποίο εξετάζει τις αιτήσεις και τις προσφυγές που αφορούν τις προσπάθειες συλλογής δεδομένων στο όνομα της εθνικής better safetys by the US government, acts contrary to most other courts because "only one side can speak, and only one side is informed." The court issues judgments of law "that the American public is not allowed to read," Smith said in a speech at the Brookings Institute.
The court has been in operation for 35 years, and is made up of a panel of judges who review requests επιτήρησης από την κυβέρνηση σε περιπτώσεις εθνικής ασφάλειας. Ήρθε στο προσκήνιο μετά από τις αποκαλύψεις του Snowden για τα programs National Security Agency (NSA) data collection. Court rulings and most documents filed in court are secret, which Smith says makes it very difficult for those who wish to challenge the government's claims to have a fair trial.
"This is not an approach that promotes justice," Smith said. Microsoft is among the US technology companies that have previously sued the government and demanded more details about US covert surveillance requests.
"It is difficult to be a party to this court," Smith said. "Do we not at least deserve the right to read what the government claims?"
Smith's criticism of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is part of the growing criticism from several US companies in government surveillance efforts, one year after Snowden's announcement.
Naturally, nothing has happened and probably is not expected to happen. Moreover, after all that we have been informed in the last year, who can trust governments and companies anymore? Why are Smith's statements not another smoke screen? The public also wishes to read such statements.
