The sad part about this is that I doubt the following AP story will cause the horrible, screaming outrage it rightfully should. Here we go.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation said it obtained documents from a former AT&T technician showing that 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. [..]
The suit claims AT&T company not only provided direct access to its network that carries voice and data but also to its massive databases of stored telephone and Internet records that are updated constantly.
AT&T violated U.S. law and the privacy of its customers as part of the “massive and illegal program to wiretap and data-mine Americans’ communications” without warrants, the EFF alleged.
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 that a device was installed with the “ability to sift through large amounts of data looking for preprogrammed targets.”
Since it’s late and I’m sleepy, I think the only measured, thoughtful response I can offer you is holy shit. While most of us have assumed for some time that this program is as awful as it gets, it’s still hard not to be left dumbstruck when little details like the above emerge. Don’t forget that this program is still active and the very fabric of our nation is under assault by the Bush administration. I doubt that the Wost President Ever, forgot that he swore to uphold the Constitution. He just doesn’t give a fuck about it. How much clearer can it get than this – warrant-less data mining of the communications of American citizens conducted from within a secret room in AT&T’s headquarters?
I wish I had more in the tank so I could write a better reaction than this, but I need to go to bed. I just wanted to get this on the front page, so more intelligent people than me would spot it and, hopefully, write up some good posts and diaries if they feel like it. Goodnight. I’ll leave you with this.
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.
There’s more on AT&T’s cooperation with the NSA wiretapping program in yesterday morning’s New York Times. Of particular interest is the revelation that there may be several more facilities like the one described by Mark Klein, an AT&T technician. There’s also a key link between Narus, the company which built the data mining equipment used by the NSA, and William P. Crowell, a former deputy director of the N.S.A, who is on the Narus board. Who’d have guessed?
One quote stood out as I read this story, and seems to be a key to the suit filed by the EFF against AT&T.
“”AT&T does follow all laws with respect to assistance offered to government agencies,” said Walt Sharp, the AT&T spokesman. “However, we are not in a position to comment on matters of national security.””
To which I would ask, what are the specific laws that Mr. Sharp is referring to? The general consensus is that the wiretapping violates the current FISA law, thereby making it illegal. Even more disturbing is the increasing interchangability between government and corporations, in which case such minor details may already be regarded as obsolete. The telecom companies’s all too willing cooperation in this wiretapping highlights the importance of the EFF’s lawsuit.
And the NSA’s response?
“Asked to comment, Don Weber, a spokesman for the N.S.A., said, “It would be irresponsible of us to discuss actual or alleged operational issues as it would give those wishing to do harm to the United States the ability to adjust and potentially inflict harm.””
There’s more than a little irony in that statement, considering the actions taken by the agency.
Thanks. I totally missed that yesterday. Since Times Select came on the scene, I look at the NY Times less and less, but I really should. The NSA would indeed need more than just that one spot in San Francisco to tap all electronic communication.
We are a nation of simpering cowards who will gladly tear up the Constitution to feel safer from Osama. You will never convince them that they’re in much more danger from automobile accidents and heart attacks.
This kind of thing happens all the time in totalitarian states. We’re already there, the constitution is already butchered, most people just don’t recognize it.
I recall hearing about this a couple days ago through the grapevine. Maybe it was /.? How fucking nuts.
Remember that whole FBI Carnivore program?
Why do I have this urge to put “F you, NSA” in my email sig line? I already greet the NSA man whenever I pick up my phone…and now I can say that it’s not like I’m paranoid or anything.
I can’t imagine why would feel the urge to do something like that.
I already put an otherwise extraneous header into my emails that says “Hello to all my friends and fans in domestic surveillance!” When I’m feeling especially ornery I take a cue from the earlier days of the Internet and insert a spook line into my mail.
“Spook mode” was an early hack to the mail reading system built into one of the more popular editors for UNIX, Emacs. Even now if you have spook mode enabled you can hit a key and it will insert a helpful phrase like “high security CBNRC underground national information infrastructure MD2 World Trade Center Merlin Leuken-Baden rs9512c Rand Corporation Cohiba fnord” into your mail.
The idea of course is to poison the stream with enough of these provocative but ultimately useless phrases that the data mining operation becomes a complete waste of time and money.