Save Access - NSA/Telco Wiretap Scandal

House Holds Secret Meeting then Denies Telecom Immunity

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 09:54:39 -0400

House Denies Telecom Immunity
Issue may stay unresolved while Bush is in office
11:03AM Saturday Mar 15 2008 by KathrynV

The U.S. House of Representatives held their first secret meeting in twenty five years yesterday in order to vote on an issue of long-standing contention: Bush’s FISA wiretapping bill. The House ultimately voted to go ahead and pass surveillance legislation that would strengthen the regulations on allowing the government to proceed with warrantless wiretapping. It requires upfront approval for most future wiretapping and creates a bipartisan subcommittee to investigate the questionable wiretapping that took place after 9/11.

Were Telcos Justified in Warrantless Wiretaps?

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:44:53 -0400

from: Light Reading

Were Telcos Justified in Warrantless Wiretaps?
MARCH 14, 2008

Democrats and Republicans in Congress are divided over a critical telecom issue: wiretapping. Are the U.S.'s largest phone companies liable for assisting the federal government in carrying out warrantless wiretaps?

Telecom Companies Try to Buy Their Way Out of Trouble

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:09:26 -0400

from: San Jose Mercury News

Telecom Companies Try to Buy Their Way Out of Trouble

March 7, 2008
By Robert Jacobson

California’s biggest telephone companies are throwing their political weight around again. But this time the issue isn’t about yet more rate increases or competing with cable TV. It’s spying.

Videos: Colbert on AT$Treason and The President's Analyst

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 15:42:59 -0500

from: Comedy Central

Colbert: AT&Treason
To make your voice heard on the issue of telecom immunity, go to EFF's Action site to send a letter.

Bush Says Telecom Immunity My Way of Saying Thanks

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:35:29 -0500

from: TPM Muckraker

Bush Says Telecom Immunity My Way of Saying Thanks

March 4, 2008
By Paul Kiel

Bush has been beating the drum for weeks (danger! terrorists! attack!). And finally the Dems seem to be marching in time.

As we noted yesterday, there are clear signs that whatever surveillance bill emerges from the House-Senate negotiations, it will more than likely contain immunity for the telecoms for their participation in the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. But Bush is not a man to settle. He wants more. Here he is speaking yesterday before a gathering of the state’s attorneys general:

GOP To Telecoms: Give Us Cash For Advocating Wiretaps

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:32:54 -0500

from: Huffington Post

GOP To Telecoms: Give Us Cash For Advocating Wiretaps
Roll Call/WaPo | February 28, 2008 10:10 AM

With the House Democrats' refusal to grant retroactive immunity to phone companies -- stalling the rewrite of the warrantless wiretapping program -- GOP leadership aides are grumbling that their party isn't getting more political money from the telecommunications industry.

Above the Law: AT$T, Verizon, BellSouth, and the Executive Branch

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:11:51 -0500

from: Vox.com

Above the Law: AT&T, Verizon, BellSouth, and the Executive Branch

Jan 26, 2008 at 3:29 PM

The Bush Administration has been pushing hard for the Congress to grant retroactive immunity to telecom companies that cooperated with its domestic wiretapping program, the legality of which is still in question. For most Americans, this story falls in the category of boring, but important. Most aren't even aware that we're facing a Constitutional question that could fundamentally change the way we govern ourselves, and how we hold each other accountable.

Has AT$T Lost Its Mind?

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 19:56:05 -0500

from: Slate

Has AT&T Lost Its Mind? A baffling proposal to filter the Internet.
By Tim Wu
Posted Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008, at 10:15 AM ET

Chances are that as you read this article, it is passing over part of AT&T's network. That matters, because last week AT&T announced that it is seriously considering plans to examine all the traffic it carries for potential violations of U.S. intellectual property laws. The prospect of AT&T, already accused of spying on our telephone calls, now scanning every e-mail and download for outlawed content is way too totalitarian for my tastes. But the bizarre twist is that the proposal is such a bad idea that it would be not just a disservice to the public but probably a disaster for AT&T itself. If I were a shareholder, I'd want to know one thing: Has AT&T, after 122 years in business, simply lost its mind?

Should AT$T police the Internet?

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:41:05 -0500

from: CNET

Should AT&T police the Internet?

By Marguerite Reardon

Story last modified Thu Jan 17 04:00:04 PST 2008

A decade after the government said that AT&T and other service providers don't have to police their networks for pirated content, the telecommunications giant is voluntarily looking for ways to play traffic cop.

White House Says It Routinely Overwrote E-Mail Tapes

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:39:32 -0500

from: Washington Post

White House Says It Routinely Overwrote E-Mail Tapes from 2001 to 2003

January 17, 2008
By Elizabeth Williamson and Dan Eggen

E-mail messages sent and received by White House personnel during the first three years of the Bush administration were routinely recorded on tapes that were “recycled,” the White House’s chief information officer said in a court filing this week.

White House reveals e-mails are gone

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:31:58 -0500

Sigh: Taping over previously used back-up tapes? Does the White House IT department know anything about standard archiving procedure, then again, perhaps they do. Hopefully the White House ISP is either AT&T or Verizon, in which case the NSA probably already has copies.

from: Houston Chronicle

Jan. 16, 2008, 11:43PM

There's Patriotism, But Then There's Cash

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:39:47 -0500

from: Wet Machine

There's Patriotism, But Then There's Cash

Posted By: Harold Feld

Like many, I have been both appalled at the federal domestic spying program and the subsequent the effort to undermine the Rule of Law by granting the telcos retroactive immunity. Which is why I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this USA today story reporting that the telcos shut down wiretaps legally authorized under FISA because the FBI failed to make the requisite billing payments.

FBI's lapse in paying phone bill snips wiretaps

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:36:25 -0500

from: USA Today

Audit: FBI's lapse in paying phone bill snips wiretaps

By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY Jan. 11, 2008

WASHINGTON — Telecommunications carriers shut down some covert surveillance lines established by the FBI because the bureau failed to make timely bill payments, a Justice Department review found Thursday.

Ten Worst Telco Moments of 2007

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 10:20:31 -0500

Note: Our list of Telco 'worst' moments would be a bit longer - and includes items like the ongoing attacks on PEG, exploding telco dslam boxes, and heavy-handed and costly political lobbying. But this list is a good start and it's safe to say the telcos and cablecos need a bit more watching.

from: Huffington Post

Wider Spying Fuels Aid Plan for Telecom Industry

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 09:50:07 -0500

from: NY Times

December 16, 2007
Wider Spying Fuels Aid Plan for Telecom Industry
By ERIC LICHTBLAU, JAMES RISEN and SCOTT SHANE

This article is by Eric Lichtblau, James Risen and Scott Shane.

WASHINGTON — For months, the Bush administration has waged a high-profile campaign, including personal lobbying by President Bush and closed-door briefings by top officials, to persuade Congress to pass legislation protecting companies from lawsuits for aiding the National Security Agency’s warrantless eavesdropping program.