Google beefs up user data encryption amidst NSA `snoop-op` revelations

Washington: Google is reportedly encrypting the huge amount of data that flows through its data centers around the world following the National Security Agency secret surveillance revelations.

As revealed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the US agency along with its UK counterpart is known to be intercepting every form of data flowing through global internet channels for government consumption through Prism programme. Google`s encryption initiative was accelerated in June as the tech giant struggled to retain its users` faith as a reliable steward of information as the Prism programme allegedly obtained data from major tech companies with legal force, the Washington Post reports. According to the report, encrypted information would still be intercepted by the intelligence agencies and have no effect on legal requirements for any tech company to furnish data when demanded. Google`s security engineering vice president Eric Grosse said that it is an arms race and government agencies are the most skilled players in this game. As the intelligence agencies have to essentially convert the encrypted data to make it easy to intercept, it therefore complicates the entire surveillance effort by making it a lengthy and timely process. The report said that several other companies, including Microsoft, Apple and Facebook, increasingly have begun using encryption for some of their services. Google officials said that both the servers in the data centers and the information on the fiber-optic lines connecting them will be encrypted using `very strong` technology . The project is expected to be completed soon, months ahead of the original schedule. Grosse reiterated Google`s concerns regarding user privacy and resisted government surveillance, the report added. ANI