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Verizon and AT&T Join the 'Transparency Report' Club
wiredmikey writes "Telecommunications giants Verizon and AT&T both announced (separately) this week that they would join a growing list of tech and telecom sector companies in publishing a 'transparency report' about demands for information from law enforcement agencies. Verizon said the first report would come in early 2014, with updates being published semi-annually. AT&T said it would also release a semiannual report starting in early 2014 with information 'to the extent permitted by laws and regulations.' The transparency reports will include things such as the total number of law enforcement agency requests in criminal cases, subpoenas, court orders and warrants. However, telecom and tech firms are still barred from releasing data on national security requests from the FBI and U.S. intelligence services."
kinda/sorta.
Yup. National Security Letters bar everyone involved from even acknowledging they exist. An order issued by a secret court, without any representation for the accused, that restrain free speech. Nothing unconstitutional about that.
It is not worthless. I for one am interested in non-NSA, non-FBI requests too. My local cops probably have more influence on me than the NSA anyways.
It makes no sense.
It makes perfect sense. AT&T and Verzion don't give a rat's ass about their customers' privacy. They're only in this coalition so they can give the appearance of caring, and so they can publish the reports. Putting out a report like this focuses citizen anger at the government, and not at them for not taking any sort of actual action. They can continue to play the "we're just following orders" card.
The thing about AT&T/Verizon having such a huge swath of the telecom landscape is, while it really is bad for consumers, it also gives these companies the power to resist the government if they wanted. Lavabit gets the government on them and they're forced to fold up because they're a small operation used by the fringe of society. If AT&T actively ignored NSA letters the government isn't going to do much to them -- because they're AT&T and such a huge amount of communications (and by extension, the economy) is dependent on them being able to remain fully operational. That's what it means to be a "too big to fail" company.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_641A
"If AT&T actively ignored NSA letters the government isn't going to do much to them --"
Watch their Spectrum and Coverage area get "nationalized" until they have signal equivalent to Sprint or T-Mobile.
Or, perhaps getting broken apart Ma-Bell 1980's style? No more Cell Phone + Internet + TV + IP Phone for your Universe.... pretty sure they (AT&T) won't rock the boat, especially while they are still swimming in it.
Good band-wagon PR move, costs little to make and issue the report, and the convenient smoke-screen of openness on the easy stuff while, as you point out, doing nothing on the more substantive intrusions. They got it made in the shade - consumer lock-in for their market share, bulk of business exempt from public utility oversight (we're entertainment, not communications....), exorbitant rates across the board for services and products, and comfortably in bed with both Hollywood and Washington. With a bit of care they're also too large to be bought. Nice work.
Yup. National Security Letters bar everyone involved from even acknowledging they exist. An order issued by a secret court, without any representation for the accused, that restrain free speech. Nothing unconstitutional about that.
Nope. No court involved, it is issued by a government agency without court oversight.
It is not worthless. I for one am interested in non-NSA, non-FBI requests too. My local cops probably have more influence on me than the NSA anyways.
Also, it's not true that they can't provide information about NSLs. Google negotiated permission to publish ranges of numbers, and with that precedent established it shouldn't be too hard for others to do the same.
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
So yer gonna let us know when Sheriff Brown's men come knockin' with bench warrants because Daisie Mae's been kitin' checks around town again. And when Agent Orange and Agent Pink ("pink? Why do I have to be pink??") from the Dee Eee Aye are trollin' emails trying to find Bobby Joe who made it big back East sellin' loco weed to the uptight Beltway folks. And Officer Green from the Eff Bee Eye who is stalkin' 'ol Abdul and thinkin' he is tryin' to build a bomb just 'cause his momma named him after his Arab Daddy and he bought all this extra fertilizer for his farm to share with the Bransons who want to keep farmin' but they're on Social Securitty 'an they can't afford none. Well that's real special.
Well shucks, why don't you tell us about ROOM 641A and how many like it there are out there. You can Meet Me At Your Telecom Riser where the fiber optics are split, and show us which circuits have been tapped to give the spooks access to full Internet and full-voice. And show us a map so we can see how domestic it is.
While you're at it, tell us when this stuff started to be installed too. Because we are coming to believe that the current President is merely a Puppet on a Chain and the spooks have some blackmail on him even worse than the Choom Gang. They say dance, he dances. Knowing when this domestic vacuum cleaner was turned on the citizens of the US would help us to discover who and what policies are responsible for this.
You're off Scott Free now, AT&T. For awhile you were quakin' in your boots as Hepting vs. AT&T was rising through the courts, "in which the EFF alleges that AT&T permitted and assisted the National Security Agency (NSA) in unlawfully monitoring the communications of the United States, including AT&T customers, businesses and third parties whose communications were routed through AT&T's network, as well as voice over IP telephone calls routed via the Internet."
But right around the time Hepting vs. AT&T made it to the Ninth Circuit. And wouldn't you know, in July 2008 the Senate (I wonder what Choom Gang blackmail the spooks have on them!) decided it was a great time to pass the FISA Amendments Act which is all about the tappin' of foreigners, all about keepin' the Republic safe, right? Well the Act also granted 'retroactive immunity' to telecomm employees who participate in un-Constitutional surveillance at the request of the government.
The Senate, and that Ninth Circuit Judge, and the Supreme Court (who refused the appeal) really got your ass out of the fire, AT&T. Because you were losing the case, after all. You were caught red-handed assisting spooks to connect their backbone slurp-taps on the domestic communications links between Americans, and no fancy lawyer could ever argue you did not know what was happening.
Well too bad that Congress sprinkled 'retroactive immunity' pixie dust on you. Your ultimate embarrassment in losing Hepting vs. AT&T would have been a small price to pay for blowing the lid off this turn-key Police State you are helping to build. Fortunately there are heroes like Snowden who have the balls to do it for you.
So AT&T, tell us about Room 641A. We don't give a flying fuck about law enforcement warrants.
And also, please shoot that male voice "I didn't get that. Did you say... my pickle is not working...?" stupid robot who answers for customer support. He's an abomination of microchips.
Thank you.
Thar be dragins in our midst. Slay them.
NSA and the Desolation of Smaug
<blink>down the rabbit hole</blink>