Perhaps this is one way we can see some justice for the egregious unconstitutional attack on our rights as American citizens. If this were truly a "terrorist sureveillance program" as Bush claims it is, then there should be nothing to hide, and no reason why warrants could not be obtained and proper procedures followed according to the law with those companies who then knowingly gave private information in violation of those laws and Constitution. AT&T deserves to then be sued over this, and I hope it is just the beginning of Americans asserting their rights under the very laws this regime seems to have flushed down the toilet for their own political agenda. Frankly, if I had an account with AT&T, I would be closing it as of today.
"Fifth, any telecommunications company that has provided the government with access to private information concerning the communications of Americans without a proper warrant should immediately cease and desist their complicity in this apparently illegal invasion of the privacy of American citizens.
Freedom of communication is an essential prerequisite for the restoration of the health of our democracy."
Al Gore, January 16, 2006/Restoring the Rule of Law
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AT&T Sued Over U.S. Wiretapping Program
Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service
A civil liberties organization filed a class-action lawsuit against AT&T this week for collaborating with a U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) program to intercept Internet and telephone communications of U.S. citizens without authorization from a court of law.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), based in San Francisco, filed the suit against AT&T for giving the NSA direct access to its databases of communications records, including whom their customers had phoned or sent e-mail to in the past. The suit was filed Tuesday in the United States District Court of the Northern District of California.
EFF is suing the former AT&T before it merged with SBC Communications to become AT&T, says Kevin Bankston, a staff attorney with the EFF. However, the suit also is intended to protect customers of the new AT&T as it continues to merge the operations of the previously separate companies.
Last December, The New York Times broke the news that U.S. President George Bush had authorized the NSA to intercept telephone and Internet communications on the basis of national security without the authorization of any U.S. court of law. The program started in 2001 and is still in effect, according to published reports.
According to court papers, AT&T has given the NSA access to several of its databases, including those code-named Daytona, Aurora, and Hawkeye, which allow the agency to collect information about how AT&T customers use its communications services. AT&T did not notify customers of the investigation or the company's role in it, so customers were not given a chance to consent to it, the group wrote in its suit.
End of excerpt
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The crux of this is, that there is no tracking as to what the NSA is using this information for, nor were any customers notified this was going to be done. This is blatantly unconstitutional and illegal any way you damn well slice it.
This also violates the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the first and fourth amendments to the Constitution which protect the rights of Americans to speak freely and not to be subject to unreasonable searches.
And yet, in last night's State of Disunion address, Bush bullied the American people subtlely saying he doesn't give a damn whether it is illegal or unconstitutional, nor if you are innocent, he's going to continue violating your Constitutional rights because he's the King, and he has to protect you from the phantoms. Once again, this quote rings true:
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty or safety..."
Ben Franklin
Every company that furnished any kind of electronic information to the NSA under this program should then be sued. Their stock prices should plummet, and they should feel the repurcussions of colluding with a government that uses fear and bullying to get what it wants thinking they are above the law.
I hope this is just one of many to come.