Tech executives to Obama at White House: NSA spying revelations are hurting business

[jct74]

Tech executives to Obama: NSA spying revelations are hurting business

By Cecilia Kang and Ellen Nakashima
Published: December 17, 2013

Leaders of the nation’s biggest technology firms warned President Obama during a lengthy meeting at the White House on Tuesday that National Security Agency spying programs are damaging their reputations and could harm the broader economy.

Cisco Systems has said it is seeing customers, especially overseas, back away from American-branded technology after documents revealed that the NSA enlisted tech firms and secretly tapped into their data hubs around the world as the agency pursued terrorism suspects. Companies such as IBM, AT&T and Verizon Communications are facing angry shareholders, some of whom have filed lawsuits demanding that the companies disclose their participation in NSA intelligence programs.

The companies also pressed the need for transparency and for limits on surveillance to restore the credibility of the U.S. government. They wanted an explanation of what the NSA was doing overseas to collect their data and to be able to talk about it, said industry and U.S. officials briefed on the meeting who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss it freely.

“Most companies” in the room pressed this point, “and they did so loudly,” said one U.S. official.

...

The gathering was scheduled for two hours but went well over the allotted time, with the majority of the discussion focused on the companies’ demands for changes to NSA spying programs, according to tech industry officials.

Several of the executives came to the meeting particularly angered over a Washington Post report in late October that revealed the NSA and its British counterpart, Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ, were gaining access to the data connections that link Google and Yahoo servers around the world, industry officials said.

Their message was to say: “What the hell are you doing? Are you really hacking into the infrastructure of American companies overseas? The same American companies that cooperate with your lawful orders and spend a lot of money to comply with them to facilitate your intelligence collection?” said one industry official familiar with the companies’ views.

...

read more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/tech-executives-to-obama-nsa-spying-revelations-are-threatening-business/2013/12/17/6569b226-6734-11e3-a0b9-249bbb34602c_story.html

[kcchiefs6465]

Right.

[Occam's Banana]

“What the hell are you doing? Are you really hacking into the infrastructure of American companies overseas? The same American companies that cooperate with your lawful orders and spend a lot of money to comply with them to facilitate your intelligence collection?” said one industry official familiar with the companies’ views.

You spineless, boot-licking fools! What the hell did you assholes expect was going to happen? Are you people really that goddamned stupid?

I'll bet the Jewish Ghetto Police (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Ghetto_Police) thought they were going to get special treatment, too ...

[Brian4Liberty]

Nothing but a cozy meeting of the tech sub-committee of the crony corporatist oligarchy. Sure, there will be a few complaints about lost sales, especially from vendors of hardware and software. No doubt promises were made to offset lost sales by providing unlimited cheap labor and some strategic tax breaks, handouts and monopoly ensuring regulation.

[jct74]

Obama 'hijacks' tech executive meeting to make 'PR pitch' on Obamacare website fix instead of dealing with NSA surveillance

•'We didn't really care for a PR pitch' about Obamacare, said one executive
•The White House telegraphed in advance that the president wanted to talk up his efforts to fix healthcare.gov, but no one in the room was interested
•Tech executives gathered in the Roosevelt Room to discuss the NSA's overreach in seizing their digital records
•A federal judge ruled Monday that the practice violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantees against unreasonable searches

By DAVID MARTOSKO, U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR
PUBLISHED: 15:59 EST, 17 December 2013 | UPDATED: 20:59 EST, 17 December 2013

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/17/article-2525447-1A2A02AE00000578-545_638x425.jpg


During a White House meeting called to brief America's largest tech companies today about government overreach in electronic surveillance, President Barack Obama changed the subject – angering some meeting participants by shifting gears to address the failed launch of healthcare.gov.

'That wasn't what we came for,' a vice-president of a company whose CEO attended told MailOnline. 'We really didn't care for a PR pitch about how the administration is trying to salvage its internal health care tech nightmare.'

One executive said that meeting participants were dead-set against straying from the principal focus of the meeting – the uncomfortable and legally untenable position they are in when the National Security Agency demands access to their digital records.

The White House said in advance that the meeting would include a discussion of healthcare.gov, but the company executive said the only subject that mattered to the participants was the NSA.

'He basically hijacked the meeting,' the executive said. 'We all told the White House that we were only there to talk about what the NSA was up to and how it affects us.'

Yet Obama, according to insiders, repeatedly peppered the discussion with reassuring words about how the Affordable Care Act's marquee website was well on its way to becoming functional.

...

read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2525447/Obama-hijacks-tech-executive-meeting-changes-subject-NSA-surveillance-healthcare-gov-fixes.html

[Brian4Liberty]

Amnesty and increased (unlimited) visas were discussed at this meeting, even if the media doesn't report on it. No need for controversy on that subject, as there was probably 100% agreement. All they need to work out is the size of the checks.

[twomp]

The first company that can somehow prove that they can protect our privacy will be the next big company. I hope all those others go down in flames.

[DamianTV]

You spineless, boot-licking fools! What the hell did you assholes expect was going to happen? Are you people really that goddamned stupid?

I'll bet the Jewish Ghetto Police (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Ghetto_Police) thought they were going to get special treatment, too ...

There are a lot of people that think that they are going to get special treatment. All they will ever really get is a knife in the back when it comes time for Govt to pay up.

[CPUd]

Some of these companies really are headed for serious trouble in the near future. For the ones who offer 'free' services, their user data is their bread and butter. It's not just the govt who are interested in it, the advertisers are their primary source of revenue. Some (like Facebook) are already over-promising their investors on their ability to deliver, and when that delivery comes due, it will get ugly.

[kcchiefs6465]

Some of these companies really are headed for serious trouble in the near future. For the ones who offer 'free' services, their user data is their bread and butter. It's not just the govt who are interested in it, the advertisers are their primary source of revenue. Some (like Facebook) are already over-promising their investors on their ability to deliver, and when that delivery comes due, it will get ugly.
May they go homeless and hungry before the day ends.

And for some of the egregious violators, an indictment should be considered.

[Henry Rogue]

Obama 'hijacks' tech executive meeting to make 'PR pitch' on Obamacare website fix instead of dealing with NSA surveillance

•'We didn't really care for a PR pitch' about Obamacare, said one executive
•The White House telegraphed in advance that the president wanted to talk up his efforts to fix healthcare.gov, but no one in the room was interested
•Tech executives gathered in the Roosevelt Room to discuss the NSA's overreach in seizing their digital records
•A federal judge ruled Monday that the practice violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantees against unreasonable searches

By DAVID MARTOSKO, U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR
PUBLISHED: 15:59 EST, 17 December 2013 | UPDATED: 20:59 EST, 17 December 2013




During a White House meeting called to brief America's largest tech companies today about government overreach in electronic surveillance, President Barack Obama changed the subject – angering some meeting participants by shifting gears to address the failed launch of healthcare.gov.

'That wasn't what we came for,' a vice-president of a company whose CEO attended told MailOnline. 'We really didn't care for a PR pitch about how the administration is trying to salvage its internal health care tech nightmare.'

One executive said that meeting participants were dead-set against straying from the principal focus of the meeting – the uncomfortable and legally untenable position they are in when the National Security Agency demands access to their digital records.

The White House said in advance that the meeting would include a discussion of healthcare.gov, but the company executive said the only subject that mattered to the participants was the NSA.

'He basically hijacked the meeting,' the executive said. 'We all told the White House that we were only there to talk about what the NSA was up to and how it affects us.'

Yet Obama, according to insiders, repeatedly peppered the discussion with reassuring words about how the Affordable Care Act's marquee website was well on its way to becoming functional.

read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2525447/Obama-hijacks-tech-executive-meeting-changes-subject-NSA-surveillance-healthcare-gov-fixes.html
Obama needs someone who can explain it better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ijCQh8uae-0

[Anti Federalist]

Good.

Hope all those complicit muthafuckers are on welfare before the end of the year.

Assholes.

[Brian4Liberty]

Some of these companies really are headed for serious trouble in the near future.

So, customers don't want to buy equipment and software that have built-in NSA backdoors?

You'd think the Chinese would love that. Or maybe they only like the backdoors they build into all of the hardware they sell to the US?