The Global Government Surveillance Reform's website says it believes "current laws and practices need to be reformed" and it lays out reforms that would ensure "government law enforcement and intelligence efforts are rule-bound, narrowly tailored, transparent, and subject to oversight."

The technology companies' call for surveillance reform comes after this summer's revelations learned from Edward Snowden's leak about the government's top-secret surveillance, which is referenced in the group's open letter to Washington that asks for reform based on agreed-upon principles.