You, Me and AT & T
AT&T's 1.9-Trillion-Call Database
This whole article is worth reading, but I found this tidbit particularly interesting:
He was alluding to databases maintained at an AT&T data center in Kansas, which now contain electronic records of 1.92 trillion telephone calls, going back decades. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital-rights advocacy group, has asserted in a lawsuit that the AT&T Daytona system, a giant storehouse of calling records and Internet message routing information, was the foundation of the N.S.A.'s effort to mine telephone records without a warrant.
An AT&T spokeswoman said the company would not comment on the claim, or generally on matters of national security or customer privacy.
But the mining of the databases in other law enforcement investigations is well established, with documented results. One application of the database technology, called Security Call Analysis and Monitoring Platform, or Scamp, offers access to about nine weeks of calling information. It currently handles about 70,000 queries a month from fraud and law enforcement investigators, according to AT&T documents.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing sensitive corporate matters, said every telephone call generated a record: number called, time of call, duration of call, billing category and other details. While the database does not contain such billing data as names, addresses and credit card numbers, those records are in a linked database that can be tapped by authorized users.
New calls are entered into the database immediately after they end, the official said, adding, "I would characterize it as near real time.
ATT-NSA FAQ
What is EFF's Lawsuit Against AT&T About?
EFF filed a class-action lawsuit against AT&T, accusing the telecom giant of violating the law and the privacy of its customers by collaborating with the National Security Agency (NSA) in its massive and illegal domestic spying program to wiretap and data-mine Americans' communications.
What is the Lawsuit Seeking?
EFF, on behalf of a nationwide class of AT&T customers, is suing to stop this illegal conduct and hold AT&T responsible for its illegal collaboration in the government's domestic spying program, which has violated the law and damaged the fundamental freedoms of the American public. The lawsuit request an injunction and damages under the statute. The laws provide that the victims can receive damages of at least $21,000 for each affected person.
If the NSA Did The Illegal Wiretapping And Data-Mining, Why Are You Suing AT&T?
Because AT&T violated the law, and the rights of its customers, by allowing and assisting with the illegal wiretapping and data-mining. The government's spying program on ordinary Americans would not be possible without AT&T collaborating in violating your privacy. AT&T should have been standing up for you and your privacy. In this country we follow the law, we don't just follow orders.
Why has EFF brought a class action?
We believe that all AT&T customers have had their privacy violated by AT&T's actions. And importantly, bringing the case as a class action the only sure way to make sure AT&T is prohibited from continuing these illegal actions. A class action ensures that an injunction against AT&T would apply throughout the country, not simply in the district in which the lawsuit was filed. Finally, we hope that the risk of serious statutory damages ($1,000 per subscriber under the ECPA and up to $10,000 per subscriber under the Telecom Act) will provide sufficient incentives for AT&T and the other telcos to push back on the feds with respect to this illegal program and in the future.
Is the Domestic Spying Program Larger than Described?
Yes. When the government attempts to describe limits to the domestic spying program, note how carefully those comments are limited to "the NSA activities described by the President." This does not foreclose the possibility that there are more activities than described by the President, and numerous news reports have described a far wider program, which surveils the communications of ordinary Americans. This case is about AT&T's collaboration with the entire domestic spying program.
A few years ago, I watched the interview of THE (?) person, the AT&T employee who apparently blew the whistle on AT&T rerouting the phone lines thru a suspicious office, which turned out to be a 'tapping point' for outsiders (NSA?). This person (I don't remember his name) looked mongurk and the interview was on Link-tv, which is a controlled opposition like Democracy Now.
This 'domestic spying' issue might very well be another 'watergate' and 'deep throat' dynamics. If you look carefully, those who scream about 'domestic spying' are primarily mongurks, not regular Americans. Regular americans are concerned about the 'illegality' of the act, but mongurk are 'scared' of getting caught red handed. I don't know, but maybe some patriotic pockets in NSA are tracking the fungus-among-us.
I often tell my friends that I'd be delighted if somebody sits in his/her office and listen to me on the phone for an hour. No body listens to me more than five minutes!
you're so funny!
:)
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"Money" has no value - people do.