Is NSA spying harming business? The leaders of the biggest technology firms in the United States certainly think so. And they weren't shy about sharing their opinions with the Pres. Obama during a recent meeting at the White House. The Washington Post recently covered this meeting. What'd they hear? Tech leaders claim that NSA spying revelations are harming the entire economy.
Concerns
Leaders from Cisco Systems, for instance, told the president that it is seeing customers avoid American-branded technology because they are worried about NSA spying, the Post reported. Companies such as IBM, AT&T and Verizon declared that shareholders are angry and concerned that these companies might have participated in NSA intelligence programs.
What they want
The tech leaders suggested to Obama that they want limits put on just how much spying on U.S. customers that the NSA does. They also announced they wanted more transparency with how the agency operates. In summary, they want the government to do what it can to make their customers less angry about the spying program.
The future
According to the Washington Post, Obama told the tech leaders that he heard and understood their concerns. Next he said that he would keep them in mind as the White House continues its review of how the NSA operates. Of course, there were no specific promises made. Let's hope, though, that the NSA spying revelations don't do too much to hurt U.S. tech companies. These businesses, after all, are leading the country's slow but steady economic recovery.