Google Makes Public NSLs It Receives, as Government Removes Gag Orders
Released from gag orders, Google started posting online copies of national security letters (NSLs) it has received whether through litigation or legislation, wrote Richard Salgado, the company's director-law enforcement and information security, in a Tuesday blog post. "Our goal in…
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doing so is to shed more light on the nature and scope of NSLs," he said. "We minimized redactions to protect privacy interests, but the content of the NSLs remain as they were when served." An NSL is a type of administrative subpoena that seeks subscriber information relevant to a terrorism investigation or clandestine activity and usually is accompanied with a gag order. Salgado said the company's efforts include "working with the government to publish statistics about NSLs we’ve received, successfully fighting NSL gag provisions in court, and leading the effort to ensure that Internet companies can be more transparent with users about the volume and scope of national security demands that we receive." The 2015 USA Freedom Act that allows companies to make more detailed disclosures of NSLs they receive has helped companies be more transparent, he added. The law also requires DOJ to regularly review gag orders in NSLs and remove those no longer needed.