Google rushing to encrypt data before NSA snoops can snatch it

Google is rushing to encrypt information stored and passing through its data centres in a bid to protect its customers from snooping government agencies, according to The Washington Post.
The Washington Post reported that a number of "company officials", including vice president for security engineering at Google, Eric Grosse, confirmed Google has sped up the timeline for its encryption initiative following reports linking it to the notorious PRISM scandal. "It's an arms race," The Washington Post reported Grosse as saying. "We see these government agencies as among the most skilled players in this game."
The encryption initiative was officially launched in 2012 and is designed to offer Google customers an extra layer of protection against criminals and spies. At the time of publishing, Google had not responded to V3's request for comment on The Washington Post's report.
The PRISM scandal broke in July this year when ex-CIA analyst Edward Snowden leaked classified documents to the press, showing that the US National Security Agency (NSA) is siphoning vast amounts of user data from big-name tech companies including Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo and Twitter. Since news of the PRISM operation broke, reports involving numerous other intelligence agencies, including the UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), have emerged.
The NSA has since moved to downplay the significance of PRISM, issuing a public report claiming its agents only saw 0.00004 percent of the world's web traffic while conducting their missions. Despite the admission, numerous security experts have remained sceptical. Most recently, renowned cryptographer Bruce Schneier accused the NSA of commandeering the internet. Silent Circle chief executive Mike Janke also cited PRISM as proof that businesses using cloud services such as Gmail cannot hope to protect their customers' privacy.
Encryption is a hot topic within the security community, with many viewing it as a woefully underused basic defence measure. Most recently the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) issued a public report claiming a lack of knowledge about encryption technologies is causing many businesses to mishandle sensitive data.