The NSA Knows Who You've Called

Magnifico writes "USAToday is reporting on the National Security Agency's goal to create a database of every call ever made inside the USA. Aided by the cooperation of US telecom corporations, AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, the NSA has been secretly collecting phone call records of tens of millions of Americans; the vast majority of whom aren't suspected of any crime. Only Qwest refused to give the NSA information because they were uneasy about giving information to the government without the proper warrants. The usefulness of the NSA's domestic phone call database as a counterterrorism tool is unclear."

Jamie adds: Traditionally, the devices which record dialed phone numbers are called pen registers, and trap-and-trace devices. The ECPA provided some legal privacy protection. It was controversial when Section 214 of the Patriot Act amended 50 USC 1842 to allow the FBI to record this information with minimal oversight. The Department of Justice has been required for some time to report to Congress the number of pen registers and trap-and-traces, though in recent years [PDF, see question 10] it declared that information classified.

If anyone has information about how the NSA, as opposed to the FBI, has been involved in domestic phone number collection, please post links in the discussion.

In related news, the National Security Agency has closed down an inquiry into the so-called "Terrorist Surveillance Program," a separate program from this one, by refusing to grant security clearance to the lawyers in the Department of Justice. The NSA and the DoJ are both established under the executive.

Comments

The NSA should take aim at Qwest.

[Whiney Mac Fanboy]

Among the big telecommunications companies, only Qwest has refused to help the NSA, the sources said. According to multiple sources, Qwest declined to participate because it was uneasy about the legal implications of handing over customer information to the government without warrants.

Qwest's refusal to participate has left the NSA with a hole in its database.

Clearly, Qwest is a nest of terrorists.

I for one suggest NSA take aim at Qwest and bomb them back to to the PSTN-age!

Re:Oh, the Abuses We'll See!

[Jon Luckey]

it's a hop skip and a jump to a prosecutor saying "we have records showing you called your mother on such and such date prompting her to call her hair dresser who has been forwarding money to his family living in Mexico that has ties to Islamic Extremist groups!"

Then the government would have to explain why it has not captured the mastermind who lies at the heart of this six degreed web of terror:

Kevin Bacon.

Message from the NSA

[pubjames]

Dear Osama,

please can you start using the telephone more often? We're having real trouble finding where you are! It would help if you phoned one of your relatives, spoke loudly and clearly into the phone, and if you can say a few of our keywords that would be great.

Thanks!

The NSA

Re:Oh, the Abuses We'll See!

[Rob the Bold]

No, in the eyes of the government, we are all assets, and are protected as such. Any asset or group of asset wishing to upset the status quo is moved to the basement, the same way I had to move my circa 1970 pole lamp because it clashed with, well, everything.

Retro is hot these days. That pole lamp, like witch hunts and covert surveillance, is coming back in style.

Re:9-11 was a wet dream come true for the governme

[FoogyFoo]

Terrorism, Terrorism, Terrorism, Terrorism, Terrorism, Terrorism, Terrorism, Terrorism, Terrorism, OMG TERRORISM!!!!!!!!!!!

oh man, I read that like Ballmer's "developers, developers, developers, developers"

I have a sudden image in my head of Bush prancing around repeating endlessly:

Terrorism, Terrorism, Terrorism, Terrorism...

Re:There was, you stupid fuck.

[HTH NE1]

It's called THE OTHER CANDIDATE.

You mean Kodos?

Ahem.

[Grendel Drago]

Please speak directly into the flowerpot, sir...