Few options for companies to defy US demands

IN CAHOOTS: Google Inc, Facebook Inc and Microsoft Corp are among the big US technology companies that were outed this week as key sources of data for the NSA. - Reuters

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO: US Internet companies that want to resist government demands to hand over customer data for intelligence investigations have few legal options, due to the classified nature of such probes and a court review process shrouded in secrecy.

Google Inc, Facebook Inc and Microsoft Corp are among the big US technology companies that were outed this week as key sources of data for the National Security Agency (NSA), under a surveillance programme referred to inside the spy agency as Prism.