Eight major technology companies just rolled out a website demanding reform of government surveillance policies. The website, titled “Reform Government Surveillance”, is a response to the series of scandals of the past summer surrounding NSA surveillance tactics and reach. The dramatic launch of the page is already receiving attention from the press, but the long-term strategy of the campaign remains unclear.
If the tech giants hope to rally public support through the site, one would expect a “Sign the Petition” feature to be central to the homepage.
Curiously, ReformGovernmentSurveillance.com has minimal interactivity, with small Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and LinkedIn sharing icons at the top being the exceptions. Given the web expertise of the cosigners, this design decision was surely deliberate, and suggests that their primary goal is not to gather grassroots support for their cause.
There are a few possible motivations for leaving out interactivity in the design of this site. From a cynical perspective, these companies may be less interested in effecting change, and more interested in appealing to the well-known discomfort with government surveillance among their customer base. With cosigners including eight of the largest and most influential tech companies, the absence of one like Google or Facebook would have been conspicuous and raised questions of the absent company’s dedication to user privacy.
However, more benign intentions are also possible. This website is likely the tip of the iceberg of a much larger campaign to curtail government surveillance, with the remainder of the efforts concentrated in direct lobbying. The companies could be interested in increasing public awareness, rather than organizing popular support.
Regardless of the intentions of the website, the launch is sure to grab media attention and put further pressure on legislators to enact surveillance reform laws. This campaign may not be led directly by the people, but it is something we can all “share.”