The issue focused on the removal of federal funds from National Security Agency monitoring of telecommunications and other communication systems used by the United States to fight terrorism.


In response to inquiries from members of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, Microsoft said it has made a significant step toward ending government monitoring of its customers using the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, a global registry of Internet domain names that is supported by more than 2,000 businesses and governments around the world.