undefined | Better HN

0 pointsgreenyoda9y ago0 comments

"It's not a hard question to answer. You either are or are not searching all emails in realtime at the behest of the NSA."

It's easy to answer if you're not. If you are, you can't answer (at least not truthfully).

0 comments

4 comments · 1 top-level

AnimalMuppet9y ago· 3 in thread

How much trouble would someone like Google be in if they gave a "warrant canary" style answer? "I'm sorry, we are unable to answer your question" would speak volumes without actually saying anything.

But I suppose that the order forbids "disclosure", and that statement is arguably disclosure...

greenyodaOP9y ago

The article says:

"Alphabet Inc's Google and Microsoft Corp, two major U.S. email service providers, did not respond to requests for comment."

Isn't that pretty much saying "I'm sorry, we are unable to answer your question"? If they weren't doing the same thing as Yahoo, they could say so.

bduerst9y ago

No, it means Microsoft and Alphabet are not commenting on evidence implicating Yahoo!'s surveillance with the NSA.

It's basic PR for big brands to avoid getting quoted in the messes their competitor gets into.

vkou9y ago

They might be doing something different, that they still can't speak about.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse