It's thought to be only the second instance of an American company refusing to comply with a government surveillance order. The first was Yahoo in 2008. It was threatened with hefty daily fines if it didn't hand over customer data to the National Security Agency.
While the company was not named in the 2014-dated document, released Wednesday, it's thought that it may be an internet provider or a tech company -- rather than a telecoms provider.
But despite the company's efforts to argue that the surveillance order was unlawful, the company was later forced to comply by the court.
"This challenge to the government's warrantless spying under Section 702 underscores just how controversial this mass surveillance program really is, and why it must be significantly reformed," said Ashley Gorski, an attorney at the ACLU's National Security Project.
"The anonymous tech company that brought this challenge should be commended for defending its users' privacy, and other companies must do the same by fighting for critical reforms in the courts and in Congress," she said.
Но назвать их вслух нельзя. Это секретно.