AT&T Whistle-Blower's Evidence

[IChing]

Wired News

02:00 AM May, 17, 2006

Former AT&T technician Mark Klein is the key witness in the Electronic Frontier Foundation's
class-action lawsuit against the company, which alleges that AT&T illegally cooperated
in an illegal National Security Agency domestic-surveillance program.

In this recently surfaced statement, Klein details his discovery of an
alleged surveillance operation in an AT&T office in San Francisco,
and offers his interpretation of company documents that he believes support his case.

For its part, AT&T is asking a federal judge to keep those documents out of court,
and to order the EFF to return them to the company.
Here Wired News presents Klein's statement in its entirety,
along with select pages from the AT&T documents.>>>>snip

see the rest of the evidence and statements here (three pages)

:http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70908-0.html?tw=rss.technology

[rumpel]

1. thanks. n/t

[951-Riverside]

13. *kick*

:kick:

[951-Riverside]

2. 611 Folsom Street

[Rich Hunt]

3. well, who ain't budging here?

Which asshole companies won't even tolerate a "whistleblower", that's what I want to know.

Those are probably the worst offenders.

[Monkie]

4. documents show this started in december 2002!?!

Plans for the "secret room" were fully drawn up by December 2002, curiously only four months after Darpa started awarding contracts for TIA. One 60-page document, identified as coming from "AT&T Labs Connectivity & Net Services" and authored by the labs' consultant Mathew F. Casamassima, is titled Study Group 3, LGX/Splitter Wiring, San Francisco and dated 12/10/02. (See sample PDF 1-4.) This document addresses the special problem of trying to spy on fiber-optic circuits

[magellan]

16. I never tire of posting this -- It began shortly after Bush** took office!

Bush Authorized Domestic Spying Before 9/11

By Jason Leopold
t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Friday 13 January 2006

The National Security Agency advised President Bush in early 2001 that it had been eavesdropping on Americans during the course of its work monitoring suspected terrorists and foreigners believed to have ties to terrorist groups, according to a declassified document.

The NSA's vast data-mining activities began shortly after Bush was sworn in as president and the document contradicts his assertion that the 9/11 attacks prompted him to take the unprecedented step of signing a secret executive order authorizing the NSA to monitor a select number of American citizens thought to have ties to terrorist groups.

In its "Transition 2001" report, the NSA said that the ever-changing world of global communication means that "American communication and targeted adversary communication will coexist."

snip....

What had long been understood to be protocol in the event that the NSA spied on average Americans was that the agency would black out the identities of those individuals or immediately destroy the information.

But according to people who worked at the NSA as encryption specialists during this time, that's not what happened. On orders from Defense Department officials and President Bush, the agency kept a running list of the names of Americans in its system and made it readily available to a number of senior officials in the Bush administration, these sources said, which in essence meant the NSA was conducting a covert domestic surveillance operation in violation of the law.

more....

[RhodaGrits]

5. AT&T's arrogant response to my complaint:

My note:
My calling records from my long distance service were shared for data mining purposes without my consent and without a warrant. I will be changing carriers to Qwest as soon as possible. I will also make every effort to join in on a class action lawsuit. I want to ensure that you know why I will no longer do business with AT&T despite the fact that my mother was a long time employee of yours and I always considered myself part of the AT&T family. You do not deserve my loyalty because of this betrayal of my constitutional rights.

-----Original Message-----
From: CERC
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 12:54 PM
To:
Subject: RE: NSA data mining of calling records and my account


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.

Thank you

I sent them back this in response:

From the USA TODAY ARTICLE.....THIS IS THE LAW:
The concern for the customer was also based on law: Under Section 222 of the Communications Act, first passed in 1934, telephone companies are prohibited from giving out information regarding their customers' calling habits: whom a person calls, how often and what routes those calls take to reach their final destination. Inbound calls, as well as wireless calls, also are covered.

The financial penalties for violating Section 222, one of many privacy reinforcements that have been added to the law over the years, can be stiff. The Federal Communications Commission, the nation's top telecommunications regulatory agency, can levy fines of up to $130,000 per day per violation, with a cap of $1.325 million per violation. The FCC has no hard definition of "violation." In practice, that means a single "violation" could cover one customer or 1 million.

[Demeter]

6. Amazing, Isn't It?

Does it seem likely that anyone at these phone companies ran the government "request" past a lawyer before they acted? Not to me it doesn't.

Or maybe we're speaking Orwell here, and not Constitution.

[peacetalksforall]

7. Some day someone is going to write the classic work about the

pompous, arrogant, blowhard assumptions this admin and their partners operated under - what umbrella belief drove them. We are always saying that they take us for very stupid. But, they also seem to operate under the premise that they can impose their law over the existing structure. They attempt to maintain the illusion that our Constitution and Congressional foundation is in place and is working, but it's not. This is a military dictatorship for corporations, reverends, and barons that creates smoke screens while they steal our rights, steal our money, steal our media, divide us, make enemies of former friends, bribe, and KILL. All out of some ungodly idea that they can.

[Spangle]

8. It's not just that.

Some delusions was going on. Wrapped up tight and surrounded by 'back slappers' and 'yes sirs'.. No one would CONSIDER questioning any of GWB's policeys. It's assumed that since HE has the power and that he isn't stupid enough to over reach. In 2002, people were still thinking the terrorist that the government were after were the arabs on the plane and those connected to them. NOW people realize that EVERYONE is under the scope. Actual (9-11 type) terrorist would be hung before they would think about sueing over privicy.

THey never realize the public would wake up, GWB poll numbers would go down to 29% and as such.... his 'weight' will not protect much.

Another thought. TOTALY a thought, with no proof, etc. What about the possiblity of some strong arming going on? Lots of telicom bills have been floating up to the DC. With the high fever of patrotizim going around (as definded as worshiping GWB and his fight against terror) the companys might not want to be seen as not playing 'ball'. Subscribers would have dropped them for not being patrotic.

Like all Blackmailers, they don't go away after they get their first payment. They might ask for a little help at first. But after the law was broken and the system set up... They keep asking for more and more info..until it all flows through them. The company keeps giving it to the blackmailers, because NOW the blackmailers really have something to hold over their head. And the general public has woken up and are not so delusional about GWB, etc.

Just a thought.

[peacetalksforall]

10. Yes, many bought into the PNAC plan and some are still loyal -

unfortunately, the media seems to be the most loyal. How did they all get the cocky idea that they could rule us, impose their religion on us, start taking away our rights. Where did they get the nerve to try all this?

[sarcasmo]

12. I bet they don't respond to that one and could some one please tell

Me who owns ALl Tell. I fear for some reason it's ATT and if so we are done with those rats.

[IChing]

9. Mark Klein is another unsung American Patriot

With all of AT&T millions of employees he came forward with no thought of financial loss
or danger to himself and exposed this Orwellian Nightmare

[Chimichurri]

11. AT&T asking the court to keep the docs out - hmmm

what are they so worried about?

[IChing]

14. news on that here.....they lost a battle today but the war is not over

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2291143

[struggle4progress]

15. kick

:kick: