Free Press Condemns Government Collection of Electronic Communications

WASHINGTON — Since 2007, the federal government has been working with the nation's top Internet companies — a group that reportedly includes Apple, Facebook and Google — to access their users' electronic communications. Under the surveillance program, known as PRISM, the National Security Agency collects foreign communications traffic from these companies. It's likely that PRISM also sweeps in Americans' domestic electronic communications.

Disclosure of the PRISM program follows this week's discovery of the government's surveillance of Americans' telephone calls.

Free Press President and CEO Craig Aaron made the following statement:

"The government is not only tracking phone calls hundreds of millions of Americans make but is also accessing our electronic communications — with the cooperation of the top Internet companies. This makes a mockery of our constitutional rights.

"It's time for the Obama administration to put a stop to these expansive spying programs and to come clean about any additional surveillance schemes. And it's time for the Internet companies we've entrusted with our personal information to take a stand against government spying."

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