On Friday, the White House confirmed that the US President Barack Obama met with the chief executive officers of Apple Inc. and AT&T Inc along with other leading technology corporations and privacy representatives. The meeting transpired last Thursday. The White House said the leaders discussed government surveillance policy in the aftermath of lurid revelations about the program.
"The meeting was part of the ongoing dialogue the president has called for on how to respect privacy while protecting national security in a digital era," an official from the White House stated. According to the White House, Vint Cerf, Google Inc's computer scientist and some transparency advocates also participated in the assembly.
A news poll made by Washington Post-ABC published on July 23, this year, noted that 57% support the government's unrestricted access to telephone and internet information, down from 2010's 68%. Furthermore, growing concerns about the administrations' spying programs to investigate possible terrorism have been reported. Research showed that a person is 4,706 times most likely to be killed by alcohol than a terrorist. People and companies switching to services abroad to avoid spying in the US would also cost tech corporations between US$22 billion to US$35 billion within the next three years.
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