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Message |
    
Foj
Citizen
Username: Foger
Post Number: 1108
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Friday, April 7, 2006 - 11:29 pm: | 
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Mass wiretapping w/o a warrant. Bush Broke the law, and needs to go.
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Whistle-Blower Outs NSA Spy Room
11:15 AM Apr, 07, 2006
AT&T provided National Security Agency eavesdroppers with full access to its customers' phone calls, and shunted its customers' internet traffic to data-mining equipment installed in a secret room in its San Francisco switching center, according to a former AT&T worker cooperating in the Electronic Frontier Foundation's lawsuit against the company.
Mark Klein, a retired AT&T communications technician, submitted an affidavit in support of the EFF's lawsuit this week. That class action lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco last January, alleges that AT&T violated federal and state laws by surreptitiously allowing the government to monitor phone and internet communications of AT&T customers without warrants.
On Wednesday, the EFF asked the court to issue an injunction prohibiting AT&T from continuing the alleged wiretapping, and filed a number of documents under seal, including three AT&T documents that purportedly explain how the wiretapping system works.
According to a statement released by Klein's attorney, an NSA agent showed up at the San Francisco switching center in 2002 to interview a management-level technician for a special job. In January 2003, Klein observed a new room being built adjacent to the room housing AT&T's #4ESS switching equipment, which is responsible for routing long distance and international calls.
"I learned that the person whom the NSA interviewed for the secret job was the person working to install equipment in this room," Klein wrote. "The regular technician work force was not allowed in the room."
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/1,70619-0.html |
Montagnard
Citizen
Username: Montagnard
Post Number: 1932
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 12:14 pm: |
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Isn't this a legitimate application of the Communication Assistance to Law Enforcement Act?
The power to tap telephones is well-established. The restraints on the abuse of these powers exist at the legal level through the requirement for a warrant.
We can probably assume that the more sophisticated criminals and terrorists are aware of this and use their cell phones accordingly. |
Foj
Citizen
Username: Foger
Post Number: 1114
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 2:09 pm: |
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Yes - on the surface, it is a legitimate application. As long as the FISA law was never passed.
The Adminstration has claimed the the domestic spy program is limited in nature. Administration officals have given estimates of 500 or a few thousand. This suit claims we are now talking about scores of millions. Every single AT&T call, internet customer.
Maybe  this is the "Domestic to Domestic" spy program that US AG Gonzalez mentioned during the Senate Judiciary hearings. |
cjc
Citizen
Username: Cjc
Post Number: 5523
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 3:25 pm: |
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Maybe Europe will follow us on this, or perhaps they're already there. So much for taking Europe's lead rather than that of some cowboy from Texas.
Wiretapping Becomes Increasingly Common in Europe's Fight Against Terrorism
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1821155
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Montagnard
Citizen
Username: Montagnard
Post Number: 1934
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 4:47 pm: |
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My impression is that wiretapping was always possible for spies in one form or another and for the domestic police under more limited circumstances, in part because the domestic target's right to due process would prevent the use of evidence that was gathered in violation of the law.
In my view, the main danger is the abuse of public wiretapping powers by the government of the day against its political opponents. The warrant system provides some protection, as does Congressional oversight of the agencies that have wiretapping powers.
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Foj
Citizen
Username: Foger
Post Number: 1129
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 4:59 pm: |
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Montagard: your view seems quite ........ Democratic. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 13526
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 5:13 pm: |
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And you are not safe if you use some company other than AT&T, as phone companies constantly route calls for each other. Whether your calls are in danger of being tapped is not knowable.
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Foj
Citizen
Username: Foger
Post Number: 1130
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 5:22 pm: |
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umm-- knowable-- this installation at the AT&T switching center suggests ALL AT&T customers have been tapped, and datamined. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 13529
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 5:24 pm: |
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Right, but my point is that if you are (for example) an MCI customer, you may have been tapped at the AT&T facility.
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Dave
Supporter
Username: Dave
Post Number: 9183
Registered: 4-1997
| | Posted on Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 5:26 pm: |
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In the big picture, this is probably worse:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/22/AR2006032202190. html |
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