BRUSSELS — The United States has agreed to share information with the European Union about its huge Internet and phone surveillance program, a senior EU official said Friday. EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom and Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding secured the agreement from US Attorney General Eric Holder after talks with the American official in Dublin, Malmstrom said. “Agreed with the US in Dublin to set up a transAtlantic expert group to receive more info on PRISM and look at the safeguards,” Malmstrom said on Twitter, without elaborating. An EU source said the United States had given Brussels details about the PRISM program and also about the legal aspects of the surveillance scheme. The EU and US officials were meeting as part of already scheduled ministerial talks in the Irish capital. The move comes days after the EU demanded answers from Holder and warned of a “grave” threat to the rights of European citizens from the intelligence program. German ministers questioned major Internet companies on Friday about US tracking of web activity, days before a visit to Berlin by President Barack Obama. Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said European-based company representatives of Microsoft and Google didn't have information on the tracking program and open questions remain about the broader issue of intelligence access to user data. Facebook sent a reply to a series of questions and Apple didn't participate in the meeting. German ministers already are pressing Washington for information. Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to raise the issue with Obama when he visits Berlin next week. In a statement following the meeting, Google said it assured the ministers that it provides user data to governments “only in accordance with the law.” — Agencies
