World Surveillance Group Inc (fka WSGI)

[nilremerlin]

AT&T CEO Says Wiretap Cooperation "Classified"

The chairman and chief executive of AT&T declined to answer US Senate questions about whether the company has turned over customer data to the US government, saying the subject was "classified." AT&T's Ed Whitacre told senators during a contentious hearing that the company would turn over customer data to authorities "if it's legal and we're required to do so." He refused to discuss specifics of whether the carrier had actually received a court order or subpoena to do so. When asked who had told him the information was classified, Whitacre said that it was AT&T attorneys. The testimony came just one day former AT&T employees revealed the existence of a second US government wiretap room located on AT&T premises in St. Louis, which has been there since 2002. Yesterday, AT&T also revealed that it was changing its privacy policy regarding the records of its Internet and TV customers. The company described customer data as "business records" that it would turn over to the government if asked for it or use the data for other purposes, including its own marketing.

from Telecom Daily

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