Internet firms pressure US government to allow release of data request details The Obama administration confirmed the existence of classified programs to collect data on US residents" telephone calls and foreign nationals" Internet activity on June 6. Obama defended the practice, saying the government's efforts are "modest encroachments" on privacy legally authorised by Congress and important to thwarting terrorist attacks. The surveillance programme, code-named PRISM, allegedly allowed government spy agencies to look at the internet activities of foreign nationals suspected of being a threat to US national security. The technology companies said they only hand over data to the government when required by law to do so. AOL and Apple released statements saying they had never heard of PRISM and don't give the government direct access to servers without a court order. Ted Ullyot, a lawyer for Facebook, wrote in an email: "We would welcome the opportunity to provide a transparency report that allows us to share with those who use Facebook around the world a complete picture of the government requests we receive, and how we respond." Academics and web security specialists say there is a broad range of ways to harness the systems of the largest technology providers to monitor email, photos and video chats. Search giant Google said it complies with valid legal requests and doesn't give the US government unchecked access to users" data, and said that by publishing data about the requests in its "Transparency Report," it would be able to prove to users that data is protected without harming national security. The report tracks requests for user data from courts and governments worldwide.