Google & the NSA: Whom Do You Trust?

The recent cyberattacks on Google, Inc.'s networks in China has reportedly prompted the Internet giant to explore a partnership with the National Security Agency designed to improve Google's cyber defenses, according to a report in this morning's Washington Post. But will the potential benefits of working with the leading experts at the NSA to better secure Google's network outweigh the concerns that some consumers might have about Google working with the spy agency that apparently was involved in the controversial warrantless wiretapping activities of the Bush administration?

The Post's sources say the agreement is being crafted to enable Google and the NSA to share information that will help prevent future cyberattacks while not violating Google's policies or laws addressing the privacy of its consumers. And while Google may be known for employing the best and the brightest in computer science and mathematics, there is surely still much for the company to gain from working with the IT security experts at the NSA, who presumably can rely upon a wealth of expertise in cyberdefense and intelligence that only a spy agency could have access to. But no matter how beneficial such a partnership may be and how many safeguards Google puts in place, any talk of a collaboration with NSA is sure to spark talk of Big Brother among many privacy advocates.

The interesting question may come down to this: Who do we trust more with our information, Google or the government? Judging by how much most of us use Google for everything from search and e-mail to location-based services on smartphones, most of us have shown that we're willing to give up some personal information to Google in exchange for services we find valuable. But will a partnership with the NSA - even with the safeguards that it would surely entail - be too much for some to take? -- BH