In response to my questions about the transfer of customer records, I received a "form" letter from AT&T/SBC:
There has been a lot of speculation in the news media. The fact is, AT&T does not allow wiretapping without a court order nor has it otherwise given customer information to law enforcement authorities or government agencies without legal authorization.
We have an obligation to assist law enforcement and other government agencies responsible for protecting the public welfare, whether it be an individual or the security interests of the entire nation.
This is a very Bushy non-denial denial. For full exchange, look in extended diary.
VoIP is an option available to those with broadband hookup. My DSL provider,
Speakeasy, also handles VoIP [Update: Their DSL does NOT require local phone service]. Here's relevant portions if the exchange I had with them:
me: What is Speakeasy policy re: NSA requests. Is there information sharing b/w speakesay and federal government without court order or subpoena.
speakeasy: We don't share any data about our customers without a warrent
me: that is good to hear
speakeasy: In which case we only share the info specified in the warrant, nothing more
me: What is the connection b/w speakeasy and the public phone network. Does the phone call get forwarded through a major telecom where the call information can be collected without court order/subpoena/
speakeasy: It goes from our network to a soft-switch which connect to the phone company network
speakeasy: Whether it can be tracked from there I'll have to check on
me: can you tell me which company? or do you have multiple connections in different regions?
speakeasy: It depends on who is the carrier for the number you're calling
me: Ok, makes sense. I would appreciate if you could look up what is trackable beyond speakeasy
me: Just one more, to confirm that I will be able to keep my current phone number.
speakeasy: Yes keeping your number shouldn't be a problem
me: Ok. That will be all. Thanks. I will wait for your e-mail and will order later tonight
speakeasy: Great, thanks for stopping by!
Now, back to my exchange with SBC/AT&T. It started thus:
Recent published accounts indicate that ATT may have provided some of my telephone records to the agencies of the federal government without court order or lawfully executed subpoena.
Please note that my agreement for SBC/ATT to "disclose ... records to protect public safety or national security, or in compliance with a lawful government request" is not to be construed by ATT to allow transfer of my telephone records to government agencies on their say-so, without a warrant. I would like to terminate my SBC/ATT local telephone service if this request cannot be accommodated by ATT for any future communication. I reserve the right to claim damages if prior disclosure of my telephone records was made.
They first played dumb:
Dear Mr. <me>,
Thank you for your recent email.
The AT&T family of companies respect our customers' privacy. The use of AT&T customer accounts to attempt to gain unauthorized access or information is strictly prohibited.
As always, we respect your privacy. For additional questions or information about your privacy, please feel free to contact us at
privacypolicy@sbc.com or visit:
http://www.sbc.com/....
If this response does not address your concern, please reply directly to this email. To ensure a timely response, do not change the subject line of your reply.
Regards,
<name withheld>
Your AT&T Customer Service Representative
Of course that response did not address my concern. This followed:
Dear ATT,
you did not address my question at all.
I would like to know if my personal telephone records are provided by ATT to the NSA or any other federal agency in the absence of a court order. If ATT cannot provide me with an answer to this, I would like terminate my service.
I would appreciate a prompt response.
Thank you,
<me>
So then comes the apparently White House -- coordinated template response (it is identified as a template right there in the text)
Dear Sir or Madam,
Thank you for your recent email.
We understand your concern and want to stress that we vigorously protect our customers' privacy.
There has been a lot of speculation in the news media. The fact is, AT&T does not allow wiretapping without a court order nor has it otherwise given customer information to law enforcement authorities or government agencies without legal authorization.
We have an obligation to assist law enforcement and other government agencies responsible for protecting the public welfare, whether it be an individual or the security interests of the entire nation.
We prize the trust our customers place in us. If and when AT&T is asked by government agencies for help, we do so strictly within the law and under the most stringent conditions.
Beyond that, we can't comment on matters of national security. This is a national security issue and needs to be addressed on a national level.
We do appreciate hearing from you and we value your business.
Thank you for choosing the new AT&T - the culmination of AT&T's passion to invent and SBC's drive to deliver. We appreciate your business and continued loyalty. Check out the new AT&T at www.att.com.
For additional information, click on the links below, or cut and paste the links into your browser (see safety note below):
http://sbc.com/... - Find help for your local, long distance, Internet, wireless, and satellite products and services.
http://ask.sbc.com - Get answers to your questions about AT&T products and services.
http://sbc.com/... - Enroll to receive regular AT&T email communications, special offers, and handy online tips.
http://sbc.com/... - Review the AT&T products and services to which you've subscribed.
http://www.att.com/... - Review, modify, manage, and pay for your services online from a single, secure point of access.
Additionally, you may reach us by phone. Visit http://sbc.com/... for a list of customer service numbers.
Regards,
<name withheld>
Your AT&T Customer Service Representative
(c) 2002-2005 SBC Knowledge Ventures, L.P. All rights reserved.
2nd email template sent
Note the little (c) at the bottom. SBC Knowledge Ventures?? This customer service is sure quite personal. They better get moving on their 3rd email template.
Later this evening, I typed up this:
Dear SBC/ATT,
Since you refused to answer direct questions about your voluntary involvement in the reported NSA monitoring of phone records, I decided to switch my service to another provider (VoIP by speakeasy). You will be informed about the details of the service transfer by speakeasy at a later date.
Regards,
Your former 8-year customer
This switch might have zero effect on AT&T's ability to forward all of my calling data to the NSA if the call gets routed through their circuits (which is quite likely). Still, they will not get me to pay for their smug arrogance.