NSA/Telco Wiretap Scandal

White House reveals e-mails are gone

Posted on January 17, 2008 - 1:31pm.

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

Posted on January 12, 2008 - 7:39pm.

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

Posted on January 12, 2008 - 7:36pm.

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

Posted on December 21, 2007 - 10:20am.

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

Posted on December 16, 2007 - 9:50am.

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.

Judge Calls for Data on Telecom Lobby

Posted on November 29, 2007 - 7:41pm.

from: Washington Post

Judge Calls for Data on Telecom Lobby

From Associated Press, November 29, 2007
By Kim Curtis

An electronic privacy group challenging President Bush’s domestic spying program scored a minor victory when a judge ordered the federal government to release information about lobbying efforts by telecommunications companies to protect them from prosecution.

Congress Keeps Telecoms on the Hook for Illegal Spying

Posted on November 17, 2007 - 11:36am.

from: EFF

November 15th, 2007
Congress Keeps Telecoms on the Hook for Illegal Spying
Full House and Senate Judiciary Committee Each Pass Bills with No Amnesty for Warrantless Surveillance

Washington, D.C. - Both the full House of Representatives and the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to keep telecommunications companies on the hook for their role in illegal government spying on millions of ordinary Americans -- at least for now.

Specter Floats Compromise on Telecom Immunity

Posted on November 8, 2007 - 9:18am.

from: The Hill

Specter Floats Compromise on Telecom Immunity

From The Hill, November 7, 2007
By Manu Raju

The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee is drafting a compromise to resolve the thorny issue of whether to provide retroactive liability protections for the phone companies that allegedly participated in the Bush administration’s secret wiretapping program.

AT$T Whistleblower Speaks Out Against Retroactive Immunity

Posted on November 8, 2007 - 8:58am.

AT&T Whistleblower Speaks Out Against Retroactive Immunity

AT&T Whistleblower Mark Klein speaks to the issues of the AT&T/NSA wiretapping in this video from Senator Chris Dodd's site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9aeKF-rOGA&e

saveaccess's blog | read more

Ex-Worker at AT$T Fights Immunity Bill

Posted on November 8, 2007 - 8:56am.

from: NY Times

Ex-Worker at AT&T Fights Immunity Bill
by James Risen and Eric Lichtblau

WASHINGTON - When Mark Klein, then an AT&T technician in San Francisco, stumbled on a secret room apparently reserved for the National Security Agency inside an AT&T switching center, he hardly expected to be caught up in a national debate over the proper balance between American civil liberties and national security.

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