Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Feds Threatened Yahoo With $250K-a-Day Fine Over User Data

    By
    Sean Michael Kerner
    -
    September 14, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      PRISM program

      According to court documents released on Sept. 11, Yahoo resisted the U.S. government’s initial attempts to force it to comply with the National Security Agency’s PRISM program back in 2008.

      The details in the court documents were first published by the Washington Post and claim that Yahoo was threatened with a $250,000-a-day fine for PRISM noncompliance. The PRISM program first came to light in 2013 as a result of documents disclosed by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Under PRISM, bulk metadata from Americans’ communications is collected by the NSA.

      In a statement issued on Sept. 11, Ron Bell, general counsel of Yahoo, noted that his company did not want to comply with PRISM, as it viewed the effort as being unconstitutional.

      “Our challenge, and a later appeal in the case, did not succeed,” Bell stated. “The Court ordered us to give the U.S. Government the user data it sought in the matter.”

      Security experts contacted by eWEEK were largely supportive of Yahoo’s actions. Vinnie Liu, managing partner at Bishop Fox, told eWEEK that he was encouraged by the fact that Yahoo resisted as much as it did.

      “They did the right thing by looking out for their users, and they didn’t take the easy road,” Liu said. “Google’s motto is ‘Don’t be evil,’ but saying it is entirely different than living it.”

      Justin Warniment, senior manager, Professional Programs Development at (ISC)2, told eWEEK that he wasn’t surprised by the new court document disclosure. Yahoo did what was in the best interest for its business by complying with the request of the U.S. government after exhausting all appeals, he said.

      A lot of the major Internet providers have become more vocal since the Snowden leaks, Marc Maiffret, CTO of BeyondTrust, told eWEEK.

      “I think a lot of them did not feel comfortable going public in some way with what was going on, even if they disagreed,” Maiffret said. “With all of the leaks forcing these issues front and center, these companies are now in a place to be able to share more comfortably.”

      For some, the issue of Yahoo and its compliance with PRISM comes down to trust. Bob Stratton, general partner at Mach37, told eWEEK that individuals are quick to condemn companies when they do certain things that they feel violates user trust.

      “At the same time, we are often not in a position to know the whole story about how the provider found themselves in this situation and what opaque obligations applied to them,” Stratton said.

      Stratton advises that the best approach is that of candid transparency, be it on the part of companies, government regulators or law enforcement.

      “Unfortunately, in the current world, sometimes the best we can get is declassified rulings of years-old judicial proceedings,” he said. “We, wherever we happen to be in the world, can do better.”

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner is an Internet consultant, strategist, and contributor to several leading IT business web sites.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×