Salon Exclusive: 2 AT&T Employees Say NSA Spying On U.S. Internet Traffic

[kpete]

Is the NSA spying on U.S. Internet traffic?
Salon exclusive: Two former AT&T employees say the telecom giant has maintained a secret, highly secure room in St. Louis since 2002. Intelligence experts say it bears the earmarks of a National Security Agency operation.
By Kim Zetter

June 21, 2006 |

In a pivotal network operations center in metropolitan St. Louis, AT&T has maintained a secret, highly secured room since 2002 where government work is being conducted, according to two former AT&T workers once employed at the center.

In interviews with Salon, the former AT&T workers said that only government officials or AT&T employees with top-secret security clearance are admitted to the room, located inside AT&T's facility in Bridgeton. The room's tight security includes a biometric "mantrap" or highly sophisticated double door, secured with retinal and fingerprint scanners. The former workers say company supervisors told them that employees working inside the room were "monitoring network traffic" and that the room was being used by "a government agency."

The details provided by the two former workers about the Bridgeton room bear the distinctive earmarks of an operation run by the National Security Agency, according to two intelligence experts with extensive knowledge of the NSA and its operations. In addition to the room's high-tech security, those intelligence experts told Salon, the exhaustive vetting process AT&T workers were put through before being granted top-secret security clearance points to the NSA, an agency known as much for its intense secrecy as its technological sophistication.

"It was very hush-hush," said one of the former AT&T workers. "We were told there was going to be some government personnel working in that room. We were told, 'Do not try to speak to them. Do not hamper their work. Do not impede anything that they're doing.'"

more at:
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/06/21/att_nsa/

[Scout1071]

1. Criminal.

This is the type of thing that we despised the Soviets for during the Cold War.

[Occulus]

13. That's how we frame it to the repukes.

You have become our childhood "enemies". You have become that which you despised.

Pieces of SHIT, all of them.

[StlMo]

14. Exactly. The Bushies are fucking criminals and just plain Un-American.

Exactly. The Bushies are fucking criminals and just plain Un-American.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Now there's something I never expected.... sheesh. n/t

[brokensymmetry]

3. My, my.

Imagine my surprise. :eyes:

[Debau2005]

4. I will celebrate my 1000 post to say

HEY AGENT MIKE!!! :hi:

And to say THANKS DU for keeping me grounded and sane during these trying times.

[kpete]

6. Wow Debau2005

and on my Post -

I am honored to join you in a big Thank you DU

and

a HEY AGENT MIKE!!!

[Debau2005]

10. I was saving my 1000th

for a special moment. And I can never pass up the NSA threads.

I am an email and website administrator, so that fact that the gov't is using these fabulous tools as a means to collect data is horrifying to me.

How close are we to the knock on the door and being lead away in handcuffs for not saluting the * regime as the goose step by?

[cyberpj]

19. Didn't you see the Supreme's ruling - "No knocking required" now. nt

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. Maybe they could

filter my spam while they're at it?

[Minnesota Libra]

8. That is just too funny.........

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: yea, at least do something useful.:sarcasm:

[Igel]

12. Do you ever get spam that seems eerily to

fit exactly what you've been posting to DU or on your e-mail?



Just asking ...

[leveymg]

18. Can you give us a couple examples?

[Minnesota Libra]

7. "It was very hush-hush".... oh no we couldn't have figured that out.......

.....nope, not in a million years.:sarcasm:

"We were told there was going to be some government personnel working in that room. We were told, 'Do not try to speak to them. Do not hamper their work. Do not impede anything that they're doing.'"...........Yea, they have to track down all those bad American terrorists.:eyes: They should be spying on the WH and the neocons in Congress so we don't get blindsided any more.:bounce:

[Sherman A1]

9. Gee

That's not too far from my house here. A large chunk of Bridgeton was paved over for our newly expanded airport in the tradition of "If you build it - they won't come" as TWA folded into American and they turned it into the hub that really isn't a hub, but it keeps any potential competitor from operating here. I don't exactly recall where the AT&T facility is, but maybe I could arrange for a tour. I am sure they would let anyone stop by for a visit and say howdy ya'll to agent Mike & Bob.

[cprise]

11. Tor Anonymizer

Tor: Overview

Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows people and groups to improve their privacy and security on the Internet. It also enables software developers to create new communication tools with built-in privacy features. Tor provides the foundation for a range of applications that allow organizations and individuals to share information over public networks without compromising their privacy.

Individuals use Tor to keep websites from tracking them and their family members, or to connect to news sites, instant messaging services, or the like when these are blocked by their local Internet providers. Tor's hidden services let users publish web sites and other services without needing to reveal the location of the site. Individuals also use Tor for socially sensitive communication: chat rooms and web forums for rape and abuse survivors, or people with illnesses.

Journalists use Tor to communicate more safely with whistleblowers and dissidents. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use Tor to allow their workers to connect to their home website while they're in a foreign country, without notifying everybody nearby that they're working with that organization.


http://tor.eff.org/overview.html.en

[leveymg]

17. I think the NSA has that one figured out.

In fact, anyone who uses that sort of commercial service or encryption only attracts special attention from Officer Mike.

Don't fool yourself. If you need a relatively secure form of communication, use one-time pads, or go for a walk with your friend in the woods -- leave your cell phones at home.

[cprise]

22. You don't know what you're talking about.

Tor is one of the Electronic Frontier Foundation's projects. It is non-profit. You didn't even look at the website.

For that matter even talking about the NSA is just as likely (or moreso) to attract special attention from the government, so I guess its too late for you.

[Hekate]

15. Hi Agent Mike: Was this really why you chose your career?

:hi: Just askin'.

Hekate

[leveymg]

16. NSA had its feed into the ATT internet backbone at several key junctions

This appears to be the same type of spying operation run by NSA at ATT's SF office described in detail a few months ago. See, http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2006_04.php

EFF deserves our support.

Thanks again, KPETE! :thumbsup:

[wizdum]

20. Hi NSA!!!

:mad: Go FUCK YOURSELVES!!! Traitors!!!

[Hell Hath No Fury]

21. Damn...

you took the words right out of my mouth! :D