In response to a series of intrusions targeting Google source code in December 2009, The National Security Agency (NSA) and Google are in negotiations that sources say would build a better defense of Google networks while aiding the US effort to defend cyberspace. The partnership would allow the NSA to help Google understand whether it has the necessary defenses in place by evaluating vulnerabilities in hardware and software, calibrating the sophistication of adversaries, and determining what methods are being used to penetrate Google’s systems. An alliance between these two organizations would strike at the core of one of the most fundamental issues in cybersecurity – how to balance privacy rights and national security interests. Though sources say this partnership is being designed to allow the organizations to share important information without violating Google’s policies or laws that protect the privacy of Americans’ online communication, many are concerned about the heavy government involvement in private sector operations.
The potential of Google partnering with the NSA is a very scary situation. Private firms working with the government to solve security problems is not the answer to keeping organizations safe. To suggest that Google needs to form a partnership with the NSA will cause massive damage to Google’s brand. The type of firm that should be handling the security of private companies is fellow private companies like SpearTip. Bringing the NSA into this type of situation causes companies to fear the NSA more than they fear the actual ”bad guy”. SpearTip, along with other firms, can provide a proactive framework towards security posture for these corporations and are a much safer and more viable option than the NSA.
The full article of this summary and analysis can be found here: Google to Enlist NSA