IBM and the NSA? No Way.
In a brief letter from IBM’s Robert C. Weber (IBM Senior Vice President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, and General Counsel) it is clearly stated that IBM has not and will not provide data to the NSA:
– IBM has not provided client data to the National Security Agency (NSA) or any other government agency under the program known as PRISM.
– IBM has not provided client data to the NSA or any other government agency under any surveillance program involving the bulk collection of content or metadata.
– IBM has not provided client data stored outside the United States to the U.S. government under a national security order, such as a FISA order or a National Security Letter.
– IBM does not put “backdoors” in its products for the NSA or any other government agency, nor does IBM provide software source code or encryption keys to the NSA or any other government agency for the purpose of accessing client data.
– IBM has and will continue to comply with the local laws, including data privacy laws, in all countries in which it operates.
So, IBM has your back when it comes to your data.
Mr. Weber goes on to say: “if a government wants access to data held by IBM on behalf of an enterprise client, we would expect that government to deal directly with that client.”
This is good news, and although it does not come as a surprise considering IBM’s reputation, it is nice to have it in the open letter format for all to see.
IBM and the NSA? No Way.