Breach No More

Last month, Google threatened to exit China after discovering that some of its users’ accounts had been hacked by the Chinese government. Google’s declaration was quite weighty, considering China’s large economy and potentially huge market for the company. Most importantly, it brought to light the epic battle for cyber-security between one of the world’s largest technological companies and one of the world’s most secretive regimes. After deciding to remain in China but stay wary of censorship and human rights abuses, Google has called upon the National Security Administration to do what it does best: safeguard information exchange between people. Specifically, Google has asked the NSA to investigate how the hacking occurred, in order to ensure it never happens again.

We commend Google for teaming up with the NSA to protect and secure the privacy of its users. After all, the NSA is a natural ally for Google when ensuring that people’s accounts are not compromised such that the U.S. will face any danger. The NSA’s right to collect information it deems to be a threat to the American public is vested in President Ronald Reagan’s executive order on Dec. 4, 1981—the order allows certain federal agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency, to gather information they deem to be a threat to national security. Indeed, China’s censorship put at stake some human rights activists and companies in the United States, and so it is appropriate for the NSA to be involved.

Yet we do not give the NSA carte blanche to collect as much information as they want from companies like Google—we caution against the collection of private information that does not threaten national security. In order to protect the American people, a partnership such as Google’s with the NSA should be limited to national security purposes. If the NSA uses this situation to obtain private information that is not necessary to provide for the common defense, Google users should reconsider the security of their information.

Still, when considering the censure of human rights activists and the implications for the involved Americans, Google did the right thing by calling upon America’s most watchful eye to fix a glitch in its computer systems. The onus is on Google to remedy a problem inherent in its systems, and it appears to be intent on doing so. Hopefully, other companies in similar situations will follow Google’s lead and also turn to the proper authorities, when appropriate.

The decision by the Chinese government to censor the activities of human rights activists within the country is upsetting, as is the fact that Google was unable to safeguard its users properly. Luckily, there is a silver lining to the predicament: the opportunity for positive collaboration between Google and the NSA in order to improve privacy worldwide.