AT&T and NSA: Their "Secret Rooms" are not quite so secret anymore. The secret rooms are the places where the NSA spliced into the fiber optic systems of AT&T to capture and record internet and telephone activities. At&T says:
AT&T has a long history of vigorously protecting customer privacy. Our customers expect, deserve and receive nothing less than our fullest commitment to their privacy.
We also have an obligation to assist law enforcement and other government agencies responsible for protecting the public welfare, whether it be an individual or the security interests of the entire nation.
We prize the trust our customers place in us. If and when AT&T is asked to help, we do so strictly within the law and under the most stringent conditions. Beyond that, we don't comment on matters of national security.
http://www.thedailypage.com/...
They're scrambling in denial to customers, to save face (and business), in the light of the exposure of their cooperation with the NSA.
Meanwhile the ex-chief of the NSA General Hayden maintains the NSA's activities are legal, in testimony before the Senate, as his nomination for chief of the CIA is considered. Hayden insisted the NSA activity is "legal":
"Clearly the privacy of American citizens is a concern constantly," the four-star Air Force general told the Senate Intelligence Committee at his confirmation hearing. "We always balance privacy and security."
http://www.forbes.com/...
The federal government is squealing 'National Security' and trying to get Federal Judge Vaughn Walker to throw out the case against AT&T , that recently brought the NSA's activities into the public eye:
http://www.wired.com/...
Of course the Federal government can claim 'legality' of anything that can't be openly challenged in court. Nothing is 'illegal' until the justice system has a chance to review evidence or arguments, within a court of law.. Until then, the Feds are innocent until proven guilty. If the courts are not permitted to review the "proof" because of an executive trump card called "National Security" (NS), then they can do anything at all as long as they cover it up with the NS card.
Fascism has taken root and Bush may have finally gotten his longed for title of dictator... Not decider. DICTATOR
I'm watching what Judge Walker does with this case. After all, George Bush's middle name is Walker. I wonder if Bush and Walker might be blood related. George HW Bush appointed him to the federal bench, which put Walker in in line for the position he now holds as Chief Justice in San Fransisco:
Judge Walker became Chief Justice in Sept, 2004..
http://www.sfgate.com/...
So far Judge Walker hasn't handed AT&T or the NSA any easy rulings, but let's see what develops:
Court Deals AT&T a Setback
By Ryan Singel|
11:30 AM May, 17, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge Wednesday shot down telecom giant AT&T's efforts to recover and suppress internal documents that a former AT&T technician says demonstrate the company's collusion in illegal government surveillance.
The documents, portions of which were published Wednesday by Wired News, are Exhibit A in the Electronic Frontier Foundation's class-action lawsuit against AT&T. The EFF alleges that the company illegally turned over vast troves of phone-record data to the National Security Agency, and has wired its internet backbone to secret NSA surveillance equipment.
Last week the government formally asked U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker to throw out the case for alleged national security reasons, a motion now scheduled to be heard June 23.
In the standing-room-only hearing Wednesday, the judge rejected the EFF's request that the documents provided to the organization by former company technician Mark Klein be unsealed in court records, and ordered EFF not to share the papers with anyone.
"It appears that there is a possibility that the documents contain significant trade secrets or proprietary information belonging to AT&T," said Walker.
But he rejected AT&T's motion asking the court to order EFF to return the documents to the company, noting, "Plaintiffs say they got the documents innocently, therefore, their possession is in no way improper and in no way illegal."
He also rejected AT&T's request for the judge to enjoin Klein from talking about the documents or providing them to others, saying that AT&T could sue the whistle-blower on its own.
The documents appear to show AT&T tapping into 16 fiber-optic cables connecting the company's WorldNet internet backbone to other internet service providers, and routing the traffic to a sophisticated data-analysis system made by California-based Narus.
In a written statement accompanying the pages, whistle-blower Klein says the Narus system was installed in a secret locked room inside an AT&T switching center in San Francisco that was off-limits to anyone without NSA clearance.
go to original article for more information and an informative link box called "Inside the Secret Room" for a series of must read stories on the AT&T and NSA's spy story... Read them before they are scrubbed for "national security reasons":
http://www.wired.com/...
I put this same story together a lttle differently on my website. There I put footnotes and quotes after the main body of the article from Wired News. That link is here:
http://www.choicechanges.com/...