The revelation of "secret rooms" at AT&T facilities where NSA personnel could monitor the company's networks has been diaried already, but I have a question...
From the
AP via Salon:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation said it obtained documents from a former AT&T technician showing that the National Security Agency is capable of monitoring all communications on AT&T's network. <snip>
[Whistleblower] Klein said the NSA built a secret room at the company's San Francisco central office in 2003, adjacent to a "switch room where the public's phone calls are routed." One of the documents under seal, Klein said, shows that a device was installed with the "ability to sift through large amounts of data looking for preprogrammed targets."
Other so-called secret rooms were constructed at AT&T sites in Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego, the statement said.
OK, so what I want to know is how far is a company like AT&T compelled to go in support of a government spying program? I mean assume for the moment that they cared a little--just a little now--about their customers' privacy. Could they just agree to provide data upon request? Do they really have to let the NSA shack up inside their data centers? Do they have to bring them coffee?
I think this is appalling, but I'm still curious as to what limits there might be on a corporation's obligation to comply with the government.
And now I'm going to read up on public key encryption....