Tech execs urge U.S. to help clear their names in NSA surveillance

Scrutiny of the role technology companies played in a clandestine government surveillance program is intensifying, and nowhere have the revelations that companies turned over users' personal information been more unsettling than in Silicon Valley. Executives whose livelihood depends on maintaining the trust of users are urging the government to disclose more about the scope and the extent of their cooperation with the National Security Agency's Internet surveillance program PRISM.

They hope the disclosures will show that Facebook Inc., Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc. did not partner with the government or provide direct access to their computer servers as alleged by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Silicon Valley executives are worried the relentless media coverage will erode public confidence, making people feel less comfortable sending emails and sharing photos, knowing that all the while they could be leaving a digital trail for the U.S. government to follow. And that could put a serious crimp in businesses here.