Friends sue each other. That's a show for their enemy. I'm supprised some of us are still thinking tech companies and their government are against each other in this case.
A bit ridiculous, define 'by force' please. If they really think a letter is the right thing to do, why don't they write it earlier? Is that means they are not forced now? It's been years for god sake. And how do I know if this is the first program and the only one exists? The letter is only a part of rebuilding their public relations, nothing to do with "right direction", just like an animal hiding from it's enemy, that's how an animal react when it realizes danger. What these company can and will do is to stop PRISM and start another one with a brand new name, because the profile of current one is too high now. "There won't be another whistleblower in the future, at least for a few years, every user will consider that we are defending them and they will trust us again, so let's blow up this program with a letter and start a new one for the sake of our big data."
I'm sure the number of people like Snowden is much less than the number of programs like PRISM. I ask myself frequently, why did I trust these company in the first place, why did I trust them again and again. I guess Snowden is just a flag for "it's time for a change", but when I see your comment, I see no hope, 'cause guys like you, the potential whistleblowers, need these companies to be trusted. I wonder if you've known anything about these before Snowden reveals, if you have, why were you being quiet, if you haven't, how the hell can you trust your employer now?
I see the future, people are willing to sell themselves for a 'better life' based on their privacy. Why? Because some of us are selling it already. But I don't want to be one of them, even I ended up with starving to death.