Google's NSA fears

By Trevor Mogg

(REUTERS/Francois Lenoir)

Representatives from some of the biggest names in tech had some harsh words to say about the US government surveillance scandal on Wednesday during a meeting examining the potential ramifications of the spying activities.

The special event in Palo Alto involved the likes of Google chairman Eric Schmidt, Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith, and Dropbox representative Ramsey Homsany, Cnet reported.

The panelists put their views to Democratic senator for Oregon Ron Wyden , with Schmidt warning that the impact of the surveillance is not only severe and getting worse, but could even end up breaking the Internet.

Former NSA contractorEdward Snowden last year blew the lid off the governments surveillance activities, releasing official documents that showed surveillance of Web usersto be far more extensive than most people had imagined.

Global effects

During the meeting, the speakers focused on the global knock-on effects of the Snowden revelations, highlighting how some governments are seeking to make tech firms build data centers within their borders in a bid to improve security. If every country ends up following this path, the tech companies said, the costs would be astronomical and could ultimately damage the US economy.

Related:Googles Schmidt blasts NSA activities

Fallout from the NSA scandal has already hit American firms, including Verizon, which recently lost its contract with the German government over concerns linked to network security. Snowdens documents suggested that more than 120 world leaders were targeted for surveillanceby the NSA, with German leader Angela Merkel among them.

Read the original:
Google's NSA fears