Thursday, April 13, 2006

Can you hear me now, NSA, AT&T and Bush?

So you were wondering to yourself why the Bush administration didn't just get warrants to use wiretaps and the like to listen in on conversations with naughty terrorists?
Maybe it's because they wanted to listen into EVERYTHING?

According to this AP wire story, it looks like AT&T sold out it's customers and then some by rolling over like a dollar whore for the Bush administration and their wholesale disregard for the 4th amendment.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation said it obtained documents from a former AT&T technician showing the National Security Agency is capable of monitoring all communications on AT&T's network.

"It appears the NSA is capable of conducting what amounts to vacuum-cleaner surveillance of all the data crossing the Internet, whether that be people's e-mail, Web surfing or any other data," whistle-blower Mark Klein, who worked for the company for 22 years, said in a statement released by his lawyers.

Klein said the NSA built a secret room at the company's San Francisco central office in 2003, adjacent to a "switch room where the public's phone calls are routed." One of the documents under seal, Klein said, shows a device was installed with the "ability to sift through large amounts of data looking for pre-programmed targets."

Other so-called secret rooms were constructed at AT&T sites in Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego, the statement said.

A couple things.
I will be selling my stock in AT&T (which was initially SBC stock that converted recently) and will NEVER do business with them again, and I hope you do the same.

Think about this for a minute.
Imagine a company that allows the government to use their lines of communication to listen in and capture internet traffic of citizens without a warrant.

Back in the USSR, indeed..

4th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.



8 comments:

Tom Harper said...

And that's not all. I forget where I read this, but the judge hearing this case is supposed to have a history of siding up with Big Government and large corporations over individual rights. I hope he can look past his prejudices when he rules on this case.

Mike V. said...

well, how lovely is that?

Unknown said...

it's like a one way conversation with someone who doesn't reply. yeah, i absolutely don't like AT&T sending information without informing it's customers and giving them an option to cancel service if they don't like it..

SheaNC said...

Wow. I'm one of those formerly-SBC-now-ATT customers. Thank goodness I use cable internet (although I'm sure the blog is monitored by the child molesters at homeland security anyway).

Senor PeerPressure said...

I'd sell my stock immediately. How dare they try to assist the govt in fighting terrorism!

Of course they have the ability to monitor any call or internet activity. They always have. That doesnt mean they are listening in to you though. Unless you are calling Abu, a suspected enemy in Tikrit, or Abu is calling you....

Paranoia reigns supreme with the left.

Mike V. said...

Thank you, Kevin, for publically stating you do not believe in the Constitution of the US.

Mike V. said...

I use cable internet as well, Shea, and thankfully, not ATT, but Cox.
However, ATT also leases lines through their backbone, of course.
This is an amazing story if 100 percent true, and should be on the front pages, but whistleblowers never are.

Unknown said...

Kevin, that's not paranoia. It's a step closer to 1984 style big brother society. There is a reason why law abiding citizens need privacy. Google is enough of a scare. I don't think more companies need to get into this..