US technology companies beef up security to thwart mass spying

SAN FRANCISCO: A year after Edward Snowden exposed the National Security Agency's mass surveillance programmes, the major US technology companies suffering from the fallout are uniting to shore up their defences against government intrusion. 

Instead of aggressively lobbying Washington for reform, Google Inc, Microsoft Corp and other tech companies have made security advancements their top priority, adopting tools that make blanket interception of Internet activity more difficult.