Is NSA spying harming business? The leaders of the biggest technology firms in the U.S. certainly think so. And they weren't shy about sharing their thoughts with the Pres. Obama during a recent meeting at the White House. The Washington Post recently talked about this meeting. What'd they hear? Tech leaders say that NSA spying revelations are harming the entire economy.
The results
Leaders from Cisco Systems, as an illustration, told the president that they are seeing customers stay away from American-branded technology because they are concerned about NSA spying, the Post reported. And 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 also had a few recommendations for Pres. Obama. They requested that the president place limits on how much spying NSA can do. And they also requested that tech companies be provided with more information regarding what kind of surveillance the government is performing.
Response
The Post story stated that Obama told the tech companies that he understood their concerns and that he would keep them in mind as the White House completed its review of NSA surveillance programs. Tech companies are important to the U.S. economy. They have largely led the country's slow but steady economic recovery. It seems sensible, then, for the White House to do what it can to keep these firms content.