...[The Electronic Frontier Foundation] has resigned from the Global Network Initiative, a big coalition of public interest groups, academics, investors and companies that are trying to advance concepts of freedom of expression and the right to privacy around the globe. The group is pointing out that the forced gag orders [in connection with US National Security Agency surveillance] on the tech companies who are a part of GNI mean that it is now uncomfortable having its name associated with the group. The fear is that if the companies can't speak freely about what's going on, it harms the overall mission of GNI.