Phone Giants "mum" on Spying

[shance]

Do others remember after 9/11, (when "everything changed") all the phone trucks (and cable)in the neighborhoods in masse, all times of the day and night?

It happened for a good while, seems like a few years, at least here in California. They even fixed and/or altered my lines because of chronic static, which seemed to appear out of no where. They had to go to a location two or three blocks away to fix my line which I thought that was curious. Could have been a coincidence, but what was all the phone company deluge about?

Phone giants mum on spying

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/n...

In the days following revelations that the Bush administration ordered the National Security Agency to spy on domestic telephone and Internet communications without a court order, one involved party has remained silent.

The nation's telephone giants--which control the data pipelines--have neither commented on nor denied their reported participation, nor have they reacted to the charge that they may have been complicit in violating privacy rights.

But historically the telecom companies have cooperated with the government on wholesale wiretapping, and the Bush administration's anti-terrorism programs appear to be no exception.

...

"Our members have worked for years with law enforcement with an objective to preserve lawfully authorized surveillance," said Tom Amontree, a spokesman for the US Telecom Association, the industry group representing most phone companies. "We have no comment on national security matters."

[FreedomAngel82]

1. Very interesting

I remember for a while here we were having trouble with our phone's. They would be very very staticy and we had to have someone come out and fix our line. They fixed it right here though not miles away like yours. :shrug: Boy, it wasn't as if I was paranoid as it is. :crazy:

[stepnw1f]

3. I Get Clicks on my Line

especially when talking to my brother.

[shance]

10. Clicks could be bugging, but if its government, it shouldn't click

That's more amateur bugging.

[stepnw1f]

12. I Thought about it being Bugged

But am not totally convinced it is.

[stepnw1f]

2. Good Reason to Break Up Monopolies Again

Everytime these conglomerates get to conglomerate, they abuse their power.

[shance]

4. Absolutely. This shows at the least how there is rampant room for abuse.

n/t

[Trillo]

5. Keywords in Amontree's quote: "lawfully authorized"

Well, why then was surveillance done without a court order? Doesn't sound "lawfully authorized" to me.

Silence.

[tnlefty]

6. "Page Not Found" at that link.

I'm wondering if there is any way to force a phone company to admit whether or not they participated. Any suggestions?

My phone line first began clicking when I was working on Dean's campaign well before the primaries. When I would talk with 3 people in particular. For the past couple of years the clicking has increased along with the numbers of different people that I converse with who have noticed the clicking. My repub mother has commented on this "clicking in your phone" several times. The number of times that we've called the phone company for problems has increased, too.

[shance]

7. My apologies. Heres a better link. We are link challenged today it seems

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-chi-0512290166dec29,0,1089966.story?coll=ny-leadnationalnews-headlines

[tnlefty]

8. Thanks. I printed a copy and e-mailed it, too.

I will be in touch with some of my brainstorming buddies soon. Thanks again.

[shance]

9. You betcha lefty***

Anytime.

:)

[Rex]

11. Hiding behind the national security excuse.

I can just smell the class action lawsuit!