Democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency.
Recent revelations about the National Security Agency's surveillance programs raise serious questions about the scope of the government's access to our private communications and records. However, Internet and telephone companies are barred by the government from providing even basic answers to their users about those questions.
We the people demand that the government allow Internet and telephone companies to publish basic numerical data about the specific number of government requests they receive under specific legal authorities and the specific number of users affected. In addition, the government should regularly issue its own transparency report with the same information.
Because we need to know.