Technology giants claim the National Security Agency’s bulk surveillance programs are hurting the American economy, and one Senator is hoping to use that warning to push stalled reform through Congress.
Google, Microsoft, and Facebook were just some of the companies represented at a public forum held by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Wednesday, and they all expressed concern over the possibility that the National Security Agency’s (NSA) practices will not only hurt their businesses, but the internet in general.
“We’re going to end up breaking the Internet,” Google Chairman Eric Schmidt cautioned at the forum, according to the Associated Press.
Last year, a report highlighted by Bloomberg suggested that NSA surveillance could cost the US up to $180 billion in global technology sales by 2016. Another said American companies could risk $35 billion a year if foreign customers decide to look elsewhere for similar services.