Fair warning: this isn’t yet official, and the original whispers about it didn’t come from anyone who’s willing to be named. Still, a report’s indicated that Google and the National Security Agency are prepared to work together for the sake of online security. Google, NSA May Team Up The Washington Post’s Ellen Nakashima wrote this morning, “[T]he National Security Agency would help Google analyze a major corporate espionage attack that the firm said originated in China and targeted its computer networks, according to cybersecurity experts familiar with the matter.” She then continued, “The objective is to better defend Google - and its users - from future attack.” In theory, this would benefit everyone. The NSA is of course an expert on matters pertaining to espionage and communications, so the organization’s insights could be valuable. Both Google and the average individual (to say nothing of Chinese dissidents) stand to lose a lot when information is compromised by hackers. At the same time, the deal that’s under discussion supposedly wouldn’t give the NSA access to any data that could compromise individuals’ privacy, so people who are worried about the U.S. government’s interest in their activities would be covered. It should be interesting to see what happens. Google’s got something of a reputation for not cooperating with government agencies, and altering that pattern could have a negative effect on public opinion and its market share. Or other search engines might lose if people feel they’re not making enough of an effort on the security front. Unfortunately, Nakashima wasn’t able to provide a timeframe regarding when something will be announced. “[T]he deal is taking weeks to hammer out,” she reported, and at this point in time, it “is still being finalized.”
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Google, NSA May Team Up
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