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  • Twitter Is Not on the NSA List
Technology Articles > Social Networking > Twitter > Twitter Is Not on the NSA List

Yesterday, I wrote an {{http://nsa-google-data.articles.r-tt.com/|article}} about the NSA's involvement with a number of online companies like Google. Today, it has been made clear that Twitter won't be complying with the government program that many major companies are a part of. The Washington Post released a big list of companies that are part of the NSA's project (called PRISM), and Twitter was not one of those companies.

Twitter has long taken a strong stance against exposing Twitter user details. The fact that Twitter is, once again, refusing to divulge details about users proves that the social networking site puts user privacy first. As for those other companies, the general Internet public is now very skeptical.

The Companies Involved in PRISM

The list of companies that are complying with the NSA is a long one. Some of the names that you might recognize include Google, LinkedIn, Dropbox, Apple, Amazon, MySpace, Microsoft, Foursquare, and many, many, others. What does it mean if these companies are on the lengthy NSA list?

The list denotes the companies that will comply with government requests to access user details. For example, if the government wants to see what's in your Facebook email, Facebook will comply. But, Twitter will not. If the government wants to see what you've been tweeting, this information is still private. Twitter's stance is not without controversy.

Why Twitter Won't Comply

Twitter reps haven't made any formal comment on the matter. It is possible that Twitter simply refuses to give up user information. It's also possible that the government has no use for Twitter information. After all, Twitter doesn't have the same amount of details about users as a company like Google does.

Interestingly, Twitter is rumored to be working on an initial public offering (IPO). The fact that the public likes Twitter's stance against giving up private details could grow the company's worth (a good thing for the upcoming IPO). Twitter does believe in letting users have a voice - no matter what that voice may sound like.

Twitter Takes the Top Spot

The news that Twitter is not part of PRISM has greatly increased the company's cred. Many people that never used Twitter are now finding the network appealing, and Twitter is bound to see an influx of users within the next short while. Facebook, on the other hand, is suddenly starting to sound less than secure to many people.

Is your information safe? The best rule of thumb is this: don't post anything on the Internet that you don't want others to see. This includes the government. The Internet is far from a private place, so keep this in mind if you want to make sure that your privacy remains intact.

Twitter is not part of PRISM, but that doesn't mean that Twitter is completely secure, either. The company still comes under regular attack from hackers, and your privacy is never completely safe online. On the flips side, it is nice to see that some companies still stand behind user privacy.