AT&T Forwards ALL Internet Traffic Into NSA

[hmm]

EFF press release:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2006_03.php#004514">www.eff.org/news/archives...php#004514</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>EFF Motion in AT&T Surveillance Case Draws Government's Eye<br><br>DOJ Demands First Look at Documents It Claims Might Be Classified<br><br>San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in its class-action lawsuit against AT&T today. However, <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>much of the evidence that was to be included in the motion—as well as the legal arguments based on that evidence—was held back temporarily at the request of the Department of Justice (DOJ). While the government is not a party to the case, DOJ attorneys told EFF that even providing the evidence under seal to the court—a well-established procedure that prohibits public access and permits only the judge and the litigants to see the evidence—might not be sufficient security.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>EFF's motion seeks to stop AT&T from violating the law and the privacy of its customers by disclosing to the government the contents of its customers' communications, as part of the National Security Agency's (NSA's) massive and illegal program to wiretap and data-mine Americans' communications. <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>The motion was supported by a number of internal AT&T documents that the government now claims might include classified information.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>EFF will seek the Court's permission to publicly release the preliminary injunction motion and supporting documents, and hopes to have redacted versions available after further discussions with the government.<br><br>"Openness in court proceedings is fundamental to a free society," said EFF Staff Attorney Kurt Opsahl. "The facts supporting our motion are not classified and are important to the public debate over the propriety of the NSA domestic spying program. <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>The public deserves to know the truth.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->"<br><br>The NSA program came to light in December, when the New York Times reported that the President had authorized the agency to intercept telephone and Internet communications inside the United States without the authorization of any court. Over the ensuing weeks, it became clear that the NSA program has been intercepting and analyzing millions of Americans' communications, with the help of the country's largest phone and Internet companies, including AT&T. <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>This surveillance is ongoing, and today's injunction motion seeks to stop the spying while the case is pending.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>"AT&T's wholesale diversion of communications into the hands of the NSA violates federal wiretapping laws and the Fourth Amendment," said EFF Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston. "More than just threatening individuals' privacy, AT&T's shameful choice to allow the government to spy on millions of ordinary Americans' communications is a threat to the Constitution itself. We are asking the Court to put a stop to it now."<br><br>In the lawsuit, EFF is representing the class of all AT&T residential customers nationwide. Working with EFF in the lawsuit are the law firms Traber & Voorhees, Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP and the Law Office of Richard R. Wiebe.<br><br>For the motion for preliminary injunction:<br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Brief and some evidence NOT AVAILABLE BY DOJ REQUEST</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>For more on EFF's suit:<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/att/">www.eff.org/legal/cases/att/</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Contact:<br><br>Rebecca Jeschke<br>Media Coordinator<br>Electronic Frontier Foundation<br>press@eff.org<br><hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>the case:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/att/">www.eff.org/legal/cases/att/</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>the legal documents:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/att/#legal">www.eff.org/legal/cases/att/#legal</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>edit for credit: www.linuxelectrons.com <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=hmm@rigorousintuition>hmm</A> at: 4/6/06 8:11 am<br></i>

[hmm]

due to the nature of the internet (its a collection of interconnected private networks) your data <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>will</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> cross AT&T's network.<br><br>so that companies dont have to duplicate networks they share existing networks through a arrangement called peering. this peering happens at datacenters called "points of presence". this is also where companies that host websites connect up to.<br>computers called routers decide automatically what is the least congested and shortest route for your communications to cross.<br><br>Because of this and the sheer size of AT&T's network this means that even if you are not a customer your data/communication is on their network.<br><br>map of AT&T's american "backbone" network (unknown date):<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.visionquest.net/backbones/att.gif">www.visionquest.net/backbones/att.gif</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>up to date map of its global "backbone" network:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.att.com/globalnetworking/media/network_map.swf">www.att.com/globalnetwork...rk_map.swf</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>shows AT&T's 8 trans-pacific and 4 trans-atlantic connection points to the USA in more detail (excludes canada and south-america):<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://ipnetwork.bgtmo.ip.att.net/pws/current_network_performance.shtml">ipnetwork.bgtmo.ip.att.ne...ance.shtml</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--> <p></p><i></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

Makes Hoover's cointelpro look like polite inquiry by comparison.<br>American Tech & Tyrants forwards to Nazi Surveillance Agency. <p></p><i></i>

[4911]

they know were saying these things...go figure... <p></p><i></i>

[nomo]

Connecting to the Internet with the expectation of maintaining your privacy is ludicrous. The very thing that makes it work is its transparency. <br><br>And it helps bearing in mind that it was originally a Pentagon funded project.<br><br> <p></p><i></i>

[CyberChrist]

If you do anything sensitive on the Internet without some form of encryption, you're just asking for it.<br><br>That being said, it'd be nice if ezboard supported SSL. <p>--<br>CyberChrist<br>http://www.hackerjournal.org<br>My brain is hung like a horse.</p><i></i>

[thoughtographer]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>That being said, it'd be nice if ezboard supported SSL.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br>That would only offer a false sense of security, given that your IP address is recorded with every post you make, and probably with every thread you view as well. Not to mention the fact that anyone can easily read what you post without even signing up for an account, or join in to the discussion and even use social engineering tactics to extract person information from more gullible posters.<br><br>Using something like <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://tor.eff.org/">The Onion Router</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> is a good start, if you're so inclined. <p><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"A crooked stick will cast a crooked shadow."</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=thoughtographer>thoughtographer</A> at: 4/7/06 10:39 am<br></i>

[CyberChrist]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>That would only offer a false sense of security, given that your IP address is recorded with every post you make, and probably with every thread you view as well. Not to mention the fact that anyone can easily read what you post without even signing up for an account, or join in to the discussion and even use social engineering tactics to extract person information from more gullible posters.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>I could give a rat's ass about my IP address being recorded since I go through a proxy anonymizer anyway. What I care about is that the traffic can be sniffed and the contents read since none of it is encrypted via SSL.<br><br>But yeah, if they really wanted to read any of this, they could just sign up for an account and read it. <p>--<br>CyberChrist<br>http://www.hackerjournal.org<br>My brain is hung like a horse.</p><i></i>

[thoughtographer]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>But yeah, if they really wanted to read any of this, they could just sign up for an account and read it.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br>Like I said, they don't even have to do that. <p><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"A crooked stick will cast a crooked shadow."</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></p><i></i>

[hmm]

i understand that there is little anonymity on the internet and dont really expect otherwise..<br>i do think that unless encryption is universally used all it would really do in the current climate is focus attention on oneself.<br> <p></p><i></i>

[Gouda]

Does anyone know about "google analytics"? <br><br>I think this board and blogger run that script. <br><br>"FireFox : Avoid being tracked by Google Analytics"<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.managersim.com/blog/index.php/?p=3">www.managersim.com/blog/index.php/?p=3</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--> <p></p><i></i>