google logo  Google is reportedly pushing back on the
government's request for data via secret National Security
Letters (NSLs).  As reported by Bloomberg, Google last week
filed a "petition to set aside legal process" with a California
district court. Given the sensitive nature of the data involved,
Google requested and was granted the right to have the
proceedings sealed, so the content of the filing is currently
inaccessible.  A Google spokesman declined to comment. But last
month, the company started adding details about NSL requests to
its transparency reports. The data is vague, but Google said it
worked with the FBI to "find a way to provide more information
about the NSLs we get—particularly as people have voiced
concerns about the increase in their use since 9/11."  About a
week later, the same California court in which Google filed its
petition ruled that NSLs are unconstitutional. Two provisions of
the federal law governing NSLs violate the Constitution, Judge
Susan Illston found, but because the N