Angry Over U.S. Surveillance, Tech Giants Bolster Defenses - NYTimes.com

Deep digital democracy dilemmas

"So they are pushing back in various ways — from cosmetic tactics like publishing the numbers of government requests they receive to political ones including tense conversations with officials behind closed doors. And companies are building technical fortresses intended to make the private information in which they trade inaccessible to the government and other suspected spies.
Yet even as they take measures against government collection of personal information, their business models rely on collecting that same data, largely to sell personalized ads. So no matter the steps they take, as long as they remain ad companies, they will be gathering a trove of information that will prove tempting to law enforcement and spies."

Angry Over U.S. Surveillance, Tech Giants Bolster Defenses - NYTimes.com