Court Deals AT&T (&NSA) a Spying Setback

Court Deals AT&T a Setback in the spying case of EFF vs. AT&T (and the NSA) by allowing documents obtained by AT&T whistleblower Mark Klein (and published by Wired News Wednesday) to remain in evidence. Defense counsel for AT&T is claiming they can't defend themselves due to required secrecy of the information program and data they are feeding the NSA through splitter equipment provided to the NSA in locked rooms at AT&T which require NSA security clearance to enter.

June 23rd is the date set for the judge to hand down a decision on whether the case will continue after the NSA claimed "State Secrets Privilege" to prevent the trying of the case in open court.

If this case succumbs to that rule, it will be immediately appealed in the 9th Circuit Appellate court. Now that the documents have been publicly displayed by Wired News and by bloggers online, we can move on to the meat of the case. Why did AT&T, Verizon and Bell South provide complete and unfettered surveillance of all phone and internet traffic to the NSA - and as Klein states in his court papers, continue the Total Information Awareness program - even though it was officially ended by Congress when they thought they stopped funding it?

Admiral Poindexter disappeared as head of the program and the evil looking logo for TIA was scrapped and the program was re-named "Terrorist Information Awareness" to make it more palatable to the American public, but the program clearly continues in the hands of the NSA.

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