(USA Today) Lawmakers: NSA database incomplete

[sabra]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-06-30-nsa_x.htm

Lawmakers: NSA database incomplete


WASHINGTON — Members of the House and Senate intelligence committees confirm that the National Security Agency has compiled a massive database of domestic phone call records. But some lawmakers also say that cooperation by the nation's telecommunication companies was not as extensive as first reported by USA TODAY on May 11.

Several lawmakers, briefed in secret by intelligence officials about the program after the story was published, described a call records database that is enormous but incomplete. Most asked that they not be identified by name, and many offered only limited responses to questions, citing national security concerns.

...

• Nineteen lawmakers who had been briefed on the program verified that the NSA has built a database that includes records of Americans' domestic phone calls. The program collected records of the numbers dialed and the length of calls, sources have said, but did not involve listening to the calls or recording their content.

• Five members of the intelligence committees said they were told by senior intelligence officials that AT&T participated in the NSA domestic calls program.

[Lerkfish]

1. when they say "incomplete", that reframes it as ok.

that implies there is more work to do, and it also excuses and minimalizes the incursions that have already occurred.

[unhappycamper]

2. I hate to keep harping on this, but here's a thread on how the phone

system works: Telephones, NSA and you.

If you know how it works, then you know how your privacy is compromised.

[The Brethren]

4. thank you unhappycamper for the info. - very helpful

Obviously one call makes for a number of AMA records, thus a number of tracking points....it also makes for an easy system to tap into and not necessarily even get caught at it.

And with companies like AT&T and Verizon in the backbone network - our options just got that much smaller.

The NSA needs to keep it's hands off our information/calls etc. - no excuses. And large companies need to stop allowing them access.

[Supersedeas]

3. so when these telecommunication Co's advertise how secure their

networks are....what do they really mean?

[The Brethren]

5. not as extensive

they claim as initially believed and yet it's an "enormous" database of personal calls. Exactly what is our oh-so-honest government planning on doing with this enormous database? And if this is incomplete, are they going to monitor and file every call that is ever made by every American till it is complete?

"but did not involve listening to the calls or recording their content." Ya, and I still believe in Santa Claus.

'AT&T, asked to comment, issued a written statement Thursday. "The U.S. Department of Justice has stated that AT&T may neither confirm nor deny AT&T's participation in the alleged NSA program because doing so would cause 'exceptionally grave harm to national security' and would violate both civil and criminal statutes," it said. "Under these circumstances, AT&T is not able to respond to such allegations."' So AT&T is taking the 5th and they are also claiming to be concerned about violating civil and criminal statues? Perhaps as in they just maybe guilty of those violations?

Thank you BellSouth for at least not complying with the NSA, even tho. the NSA will probably still worm their way around them.

[maxrandb]

6. It's "Incomplete" because it only includes registered Dems! n/t