Google

====U.S. government contracts====

Following media reports about [[PRISM (surveillance program)|PRISM]], the [[National Security Agency|NSA]]'s massive electronic [[Mass surveillance|surveillance program]], in June 2013, several technology companies were identified as participants, including Google.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 17, 2014 |title=Edward Snowden: Leaks that exposed US spy programme |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-23123964 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320171345/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-23123964 |archive-date=March 20, 2017 |access-date=March 25, 2017 |website=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> According to unnamed sources, Google joined the PRISM program in 2009, as [[YouTube]] in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Greenwald |first1=Glenn |last2=MacAskill |first2=Ewen |date=June 7, 2013 |title=NSA Prism program taps in to user data of Apple, Google and others |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data |archive-date=August 18, 2006 |access-date=April 17, 2021 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

Google has worked with the [[United States Department of Defense]] on drone software through the 2017 [[Project Maven]] that could be used to improve the accuracy of [[drone strike]]s.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Amadeo |first=Ron |date=April 4, 2018 |title=Google employees revolt, say company should shut down military drone project |work=Ars Technica |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/04/google-should-not-be-in-the-business-of-war-googlers-decry-pentagon-project/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202043739/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/04/google-should-not-be-in-the-business-of-war-googlers-decry-pentagon-project/ |archive-date=February 2, 2021}}</ref> In April 2018, thousands of Google employees, including senior engineers, signed a letter urging Google CEO [[Sundar Pichai]] to end this controversial contract with the Pentagon.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chapman |first=Ben |date=April 3, 2018 |title=Google staff protest company's involvement with Pentagon drones programme |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/google-protest-pentagon-drones-programme-company-sundar-pichai-department-defense-a8290111.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214235047/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/google-protest-pentagon-drones-programme-company-sundar-pichai-department-defense-a8290111.html |archive-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> Google ultimately decided not to renew this [[United States Department of Defense|DoD]] contract, which was set to expire in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Wakabayashi |first1=Daisuke |last2=Shane |first2=Scott |date=June 1, 2018 |title=Google Will Not Renew Pentagon Contract That Upset Employees |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/technology/google-pentagon-project-maven.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016004020/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/technology/google-pentagon-project-maven.html |archive-date=October 16, 2018 |access-date=October 16, 2018 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>