US government to declassify parts of secret order to Yahoo

The US government has reportedly said that it will declassify parts of a 2008 secret court order that asked Yahoo to furnish user data for the NSA's Prism programme.

In a filing with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the Justice Department said that the declassification would make possible the publication of much of the court's opinion and order.

According to stuff.co.nz, the Justice Department maintained that some of the information in the opinion must remain classified and would be redacted.

Many tech giants, including Yahoo, have been long pushing for the government to allow them publishing the details of the court orders, which compelled them to furnish user data for government consumption.