With many people still wondering about the extent to which the National Security Agency and other authorities were peeping in to consumers’ phone and Internet activities, some of the larger firms caught up in the scandal are making attempts at being transparent about what they did and didn’t hand over to the government. However, some are being more transparent than others. [More]
Apple Says It Received 5,000 Data Requests From Law Enforcement, Doesn’t Say How Many It Fulfilled
By June 17, 2013
Sales Of Orwell’s Dystopian ’1984′ Have Spiked With News Of NSA Surveillance
By June 12, 2013
There’s a hot book on the scene — have you heard about it? It’s this wacky vision of a dystopian future where the government is always listening. And oh yeah, it’s George Orwell’s 1984, which was published 64 years ago. Sales of the futuristic cautionary tale to society have been hopping in the wake of the National Security Agency surveillance scandal, with one edition jumping from No. 73797 to No. 125 on the Amazon.com best-seller list. [More]
Class-Action Suit Filed Over NSA Phone-Snooping
By June 11, 2013
Days after it was revealed that the National Security Agency had quietly been granted access to phone records of Verizon customers, a couple in Philadelphia has filed against everyone involved, from the NSA to Verizon to Attorney General Eric Holder to President Obama. [More]
White House Official Defends Collection Of Verizon Customer Data As Critical To Fighting Terrorism
By June 6, 2013
Following reports that the National Security Agency has been using a secret court order to collect phone records for millions of Verizon customers, the Obama administration has had to come out in defense of the controversial practice, while the Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee says this practice has actually been going on since 2006. [More]
New Spy Law Will Provide Immunity To Wiretapping Telcos
By June 20, 2008
Update: Voted! Passed 293-129.
Today the House votes on a new compromise FISA Bill that will make the NSA’s formerly questionable activities—like spying on Americans—legal, and will grant conditional immunity upon the telephone companies that aided the NSA in spying on their customers. It’s “conditional” because there will still be a court review, but nobody seems to be taking the court review seriously: Senator Russ Feingold, D-WI, calls it a “capitulation” in the ongoing fight over holding the telcos responsible, and Rep. Roy Blunt, R-MO, says the review will be a “formality.” Looks like you’re about to get off free, Verizon and AT&T!
Are Bundled Packages A Threat To Privacy?
By September 16, 2007
The L.A. Times read the privacy policies of several bundled service providers and found that they are feverishly monitoring their subscriber’s activities. With the ability to monitor internet, phone, and television preferences, bundled service providers are able to track nearly every aspect of their subscriber’s digital lives. While Google retains personally identifiable for less than two years, some ISPs like Time Warner cling to your data for an astounding fifteen years in order to “comply with tax and accounting requirements.” It gets worse.
There are red flags to be found in each telecom provider’s privacy policy. A close reading of Time Warner’s policy reveals:
AT&T's New Copyright Protection Plan: Read Everyone's Data!
By June 16, 2007
AT&T has announced a plan to keep pirated content off their network by peeking at everyone’s data to see if it contains copyrighted material. The plan, which the telecom somehow claims will “not violate user privacy,” will only target repeat offenders.
Wired Interview With Mark Klein, AT&T Spying Whistleblower
By May 10, 2007
Wired has an informative, deeply terrifying, interview with Mark Klein the whistleblower who outed AT&T for spying for the NSA.
WN: How many people worked in or on that room?
Federal Judge Orders NSA Spy Program Stopped
By August 17, 2006
U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit today found the NSA domestic spying program “without warrant” and violated the First and Fourth Amendments. She ordered it stopped.
US Threatens to Sue if Maine Probes Verizon’s Phone Record Gift to NSA
By August 8, 2006
Verizon customers in Maine asked the Public Utilities Commission to investigate whether the cellphone company handed over their phone records to the NSA. A July 28th letter from the DOJ to the PUC asked them to demure, and intimated at possible legal action.
AT&T Owns Your Booty
By June 23, 2006
In a followup to “AT&T: All Your Phone Are Belong to Us“, the SF Gate interviewed some privacy wonks who say:
AT&T: All Your Phone Are Belong to Us
By June 22, 2006
If you’re an AT&T customer, you have until this Friday to switch.
What, Me Warrant?
By June 20, 2006
The AP reports that federal and local law enforcement agencies routinely circumvent warrants and acquire citizens’ phone records from private information collectors, often for free.
Verizon Wants to Chat About -$1000 Bill
By June 19, 2006
Back in mid-may, we decided that the best way to protest the phone companies selling our records to the NSA was to send our cell phone company a bill for $1000. What we did is take our Verizon bill, deduct $1000 from it, and enclose a copy of 18 USC 2701 with relevant secitons highlighted. Specifically, those parts saying that if anyone gives up your phone records, they can get fined $1000. Obviously, this is in jest. But Verizon’s taking it seriously enough to want to schedule a conference call with us.
The News
By June 8, 2006
• Airlines fill up on freight to try to make a buck. Cargo crates complain of cramped quarters, having to buy own forklifts. [CT]
IRS Tells NSA How to Do Its Job
By May 24, 2006
The IRS just fact-checked the NSA’s wiretapping ass.
UPDATE: Win $1000
By May 22, 2006
We want you to have $1000 and will give you a prize for just trying to collect it.
