Google, Microsoft Back Bill Limiting Gag Orders on Data Demands

Companies including Alphabet Inc.‘s Google and Microsoft Corp. are pushing the Senate to advance House-passed legislation meant to boost the transparency of government demands for user emails, phone records, and other digital data.

The bipartisan bill (H.R. 7072) seeks to limit the use of non-disclosure orders that government prosecutors often issue to prevent companies from telling their users about requests for such data made under the Stored Communications Act. These so-called gag orders are designed to protect potential crime victims and shield ongoing investigations from being compromised, though they’ve drawn criticism from digital rights advocates for concealing ...