In the months since information about the NSA's bulk surveillance efforts began to leak, many of the tech companies named in documents have been unable to even discuss their involvement. Those blinds have been pried back a little with the release of a few transparency reports, but today Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo, Apple and AOL (the corporate parent of Engadget) sent a letter to Congress encouraging it to do more. Mashable posted a copy of the letter (embedded after the break), which is addressed to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and specifically references the recently-introduced USA Freedom Act as an "important contribution" to the discussion.
That particular bill seeks to end the NSA's "dragnet" security programs while "requiring greater oversight, transparency, and accountability with respect to domestic surveillance authorities." According to the companies, greater transparency would clear up "erroneous reports that we permit intelligence agencies "direct access" to our companies' servers or that we are participants in a bulk Internet records collection program." As the Washington Post points out, the companies listed may take issue with other bills circulating like the FISA Improvement Act because they don't address surveillance of non-US citizens, creating suspicion and problems for said companies setting up services for users internationally.
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October 31, 2013
The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate 224 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Michael S. Lee Member, Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate 316 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable John Conyers, Jr. Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary U.S. House of Representatives 2138 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Frank James Sensenbrenner, Jr. Member, Committee on the Judiciary U.S. House of Representatives 2449 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Dear Messrs. Chairman, Ranking Members and Members:
As companies whose services are used by hundreds of millions of people around the world, we welcome the debate about how to protect both national security and privacy interests and we applaud the sponsors of the USA Freedom Act for making an important contribution to this discussion. Recent disclosures regarding surveillance activity raise important concerns both in the United States and abroad. The volume and complexity of the information that has been disclosed in recent months has created significant confusion here and around the world, making it more difficult to identify appropriate policy prescriptions. Our companies have consistently made clear that we only respond to legal demands for customer and user information that are targeted and specific. Allowing companies to be transparent about the number and nature of requests will help the public better understand the facts about the government's authority to compel technology companies to disclose user data and how technology companies respond to the targeted legal demands we receive. Transparency in this regard will also help to counter erroneous reports that we permit intelligence agencies "direct access‚" to our companies' servers or that we are participants in a bulk Internet records collection program.
Transparency is a critical first step to an informed public debate, but it is clear that more needs to be done. Our companies believe that government surveillance practices should also be reformed to include substantial enhancements to privacy protections and appropriate oversight and accountability mechanisms for those programs. We also continue to encourage the Administration to increase its transparency efforts and allow us to release more information about the number and types of requests that we receive, so that the public debate on these issues can be informed by facts about how these programs operate. We urge the Administration to work with Congress in addressing these critical reforms that would provide much needed transparency and help rebuild the trust of Internet users around the world. We look forward to working with you, the co-sponsors of your bills, and other members on legislation that takes into account the need of governments to keep individuals around the world safe as well as the legitimate privacy interests of our users around the world.
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One of the books most often mentioned by readers was Frank Herbert's "Dune." Some readers suggested its absence in our original list showed a female favoritism, but female commenters said it's among their favorites, too. "It presaged many of the hot topics of today," 
"Watership Down" proved a controversial choice. 
"Anything essential is invisible to the eye." 
"My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George inspired many young readers "struggling alone to find their ways through the world, both literally and figuratively," 
A few male readers cited "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain as an influential book in their young lives. "The best part? A happy ending, and one that came about because of Tom," 
Readers who would have liked to see 
Before dystopian tales dominated young adult fiction, George Orwell's "Animal Farm" was the story of a society gone wrong. It's also a frequent target of 
William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" was another book frequently cited by readers. 
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee "taught me more about prejudice than I had learned in school," 
Jack London's classic "The Call of the Wild" also came up several times as an example of a classic tale of adventure that encouraged perseverance and triumph over adversity. 
Even if they didn't like the movie, many readers endorsed the novel, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," by Stephen Chbosky. 
Rumer Godden's "In this House of Brede" is the story of a businesswoman who decides to become a nun. Naturally, struggles ensue in the transition. "It showed me that life is never going to be a smooth ride, but even in the midst of turmoil and suffering, there will be times of grace," 
Several readers brought up Dragonlance, the setting for numerous fantasy novels that also inspired numerous role-playing games. The recurring battles between good and evil forces emphasized the importance of balance in the universe, 
For many, Mildred Taylor's "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" was a first introduction to other races and racism. "I grew up in a very white, Midwestern state," 
Another popular reader pick, Lois Lowry's "The Giver," describes a dystopian society in which pain and suffering are eliminated as people relinquish memories and the ability to experience emotions. It won the Newbery Medal in 1994. "When you imagine life without taste, color, feelings, without the things we've come to expect like sunshine and snow, it makes you realize how amazing life in the world we live can truly be," 
Another recent favorite is Jay Asher's "13 Reasons Why," the story of a teen's quest to find why a friend killed herself. 
Katherine Paterson's "Bridge to Terabithia" was another popular selections readers lauded for the 
Several readers described Elizabeth George Speare's "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" as an all-time favorite. The book won the 1959 Newbery Medal for its portrayal of a teen heroine in the 17th century who is forced to choose between love and duty. Sound familiar? 
Readers highlighted books from Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" series about a pioneer family. Of course, not all life-changing effects are poetic: "I never again ate head-cheese after Laura described her mother making it," 
For some readers, E. L. Konigsburg's "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" sparked a love affair with museums and New York. "Every time I go to a museum, I wonder what it would be like to live there," 
Books from Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series struck a chord with many readers and inspired a lifelong love of the fantasy genre. One reader said "Dragonsong" from the Harper Hall trilogy was the first book she and her mother read together. "I felt as much of an outsider as Menolly," 
K.A. Applegate's Animorphs series revolves around humans and an alien who use their ability to morph into animals to battle an alien attack of Earth. "Those books brought up some pretty heavy moral dilemmas and challenged the readers to draw their own conclusions," 
Chris Crutcher's "Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes" was an "all-time favorite" 
"Miriam's Well" by Lois Ruby deals with an especially tough topic: What happens when faith stands in the way of medical treatment? Some readers applauded the author's handling of a controversial topic without appearing to take sides. "As a kid who encountered lot of super-preachy YA books in the '90s, I really appreciated Lois Ruby's refusal to take sides on such a heated issue," 
"I Never Promised You a Rose Garden," Joanne Greenberg's semi-autobiographical tale of dealing with schizophrenia, tackled the stigma of mental illness and anti-semitism. One reader said it was just as revealing as "Go Ask Alice," a diary-styled depiction of a teen's descent into drug abuse, but "more disturbing since you could choose not to do drugs, but have no say if you end up schizophrenic!" 
Author Jerry Spinelli won the 1991 Newbery Medal for "Maniac Magee," the story of a homeless teen. "It was one of my favorite books as a kid and deals with issues like diversity, racism, homelessness and bullying. Plus, it's just a fun book," one reader said. 
Death himself is the narrator of Markus Zusak's "The Book Thief," describing Nazi Germany during the escalation of World War II. Readers flagged this award-winning best-seller as a modern classic. 
