Ray Walsh shares why US companies are at a privacy disadvantage in his article Why The US Must Leave Privacy-Providing Firms Alone.

Walsh opens his article with the example of Riseup.net, a US-based email service known for its commitment to user privacy. US government agents visited Riseup in the fall of 2016 and demanded the organization turn over information for two of its subscribers. Because warrants for the “request” came with gag orders, the organization wasn’t allowed to breathe a word about it.

Riseup attempted to fight the warrants, but was forced to violate its privacy promises in the end. In a blog post explanation to users, Riseup defended its cooperation with government agents, sharing that the targets of the warrants were reported to be extortionists, but Walsh notes:

…[T]he truth is that riseup.net didn’t comply because it was taking a high moral stance – on the contrary – it attempted to resist the warrants. In the end, however, not complying with the warrants could have “resulted in jail time for Riseup birds and/or termination of the Riseup organization”.

With that in mind, riseup.net can be understood to have been fortunate that the cases (it was asked to disclose details about) involved actions that the organization doesn’t particularly condone.

What happens when justification for a warrant is not so clear cut? It’s easy to see how the next target could be an activist speaking out against social policy or a political opponent.

US laws can make the best privacy policies practically worthless. This is why PrivacyTools.io, a highly respected organization that provides tips and tools for avoiding mass surveillance, “is already encouraging consumers to boycott US-based firms,” says Walsh. He writes that PrivacyTools.io “recently decided to withdraw its support of DuckDuckGo,” a US-based private search engine “because the firm is based in the US, and could be forced to secretly comply with a warrant (despite its privacy promises).” Note: DuckDuckGo was later added back to the list, with a caution about its location.

PrivacyTools posts the following warning on its website:

“Services based in the United States are not recommended because of the country’s surveillance programs, use of National Security Letters (NSLs) and accompanying gag orders, which forbid the recipient from talking about the request. This combination allows the government to secretly force companies to grant complete access to customer data and transform the service into a tool of mass surveillance.”

As consumers realize that US-based privacy services could easily become honey pots, they will naturally look to services based outside of the US. Walsh predicts a lack of consumer confidence in US companies could force privacy-focused services to relocate to more privacy-friendly countries unless the laws are changed.

Click here to read the entire article: https://www.bestvpn.com/us-must-leave-privacy-firms-alone/