Whistleblower: Warrantless Backdoor For Cell Phones Leads to Quantico
Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 11:24:20 AM PDT
Many of us have had these suspicions for a long time. Now a Tech. has confirmed some of our worse fears. The compilicity of the Telecoms is undeniable when you look at how it is being done. According to "Computer security analyst Babak Pasdar says that a major mobile telecommunications carrier has a built-in backdoor that provides an undisclosed third-party with unfettered access to its internal technical infrastructure, including the ability to eavesdrop on all calls through its network." http://arstechnica.com/...
A U.S. government office in Quantico, Virginia, has direct, high-speed access to a major wireless carrier's systems, exposing customers' voice calls, data packets and physical movements to uncontrolled surveillance, according to a computer security consultant who says he worked for the carrier in late 2003.
Wired
FBI Director Mueller just the other day when speaking about how many times the FBI had broken the laws pertaining to the Nation Security Letters made this statement. "We are committed to ensuring that we not only get this right, but maintain the vital trust of the American people." Can you say Bull....? This trail leads straight to Quantico where the FBI has many offices and training facilitys.
Although Pasdar has refused to name the carrier, and those working for the carrier who have knowledge of the Quantico Circuit's user aren't saying what they know, Wired's Threat Level blog connected the pieces and points us to the 2006 wiretapping lawsuit against the telcos, which alleges that Verizon "has engaged and maintained and still does maintain a high speed data transmission line from its wireless call center to a remote location in Quantico, Virginia, the site of a U.S. government intelligence and military base." The lawsuit also asserts that "the transmission line provided the Quantico recipient direct access to all content and all information concerning the origin and termination of telephone calls placed on the Verizon Wireless network as well as the actual content of calls."
Providing any third party with unfettered network access to such a broad spectrum of sensitive consumer data would seem to constitute a very clear violation of the Communications Act, which broadly forbids disclosure of such information.
This new information that just started making the rounds in DC the other day is but one of the many reasons we need to keep up the fight against Immunity for the Telecoms. We still have but a small amount knowledge when it comes to the extent of Lawbreaking and Spying the FBI and others have been party to and on whose orders. For all we know the FBI could still be using this backdoor as well as the ones from those Secret Switching Rooms we have been told about. TPM Muckrakers today has a piece about Speaker Pelosi and a conference call to bloggers about the Immunity issue.
In a conference call with bloggers today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) made it clear that her highest priority for a surveillance bill was that it contain a so-called "exclusivity" provision -- a measure that would explicitly state that the bill would be the "exclusive means" by which the government would conduct surveillance, or in other words, the president does not have the power to ignore the law if he/she so pleases.
"Exclusivity is the issue," she said. ....
Pelosi says that she "absolutely" opposes retroactive immunity for the telecoms, but that she "didn't want the fight to be so focused there that we neglect exclusivity."
Pelosi: Surveillance Bill Focus Should Be on "Exclusivity"
In a diary the other day mcjoan gave us a list of contacts we MUST use to change their vote. It is vital that everyone send them a email, call their office or send them a fax. If you live in their district it is even more important that you get involved. These are the Bush/Blue Dog Democrats we are stuck with until we can replace them with real Democrats.
FISA Fight: If Boyda and Salazar can be against it....
This fight is NOT over ! We have not lost yet and must not give up. Please even if you have already sent tons of emails, made the calls, etc., we need you to keep up the pressure. It clear those in DC are feeling pressure so now is not the time to fold our tents.
Earlier this am another kossack RiderOnTheStorm wrote about the same issue but it got little attention. Here's a link http://www.dailykos.com/...
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