AT&T Secretly Selling Customers’ Data To Law Enforcement

1CK1S
1CK1S Members Posts: 27,471 ✭✭✭✭✭
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Documents show law enforcement agencies pay from $100,000 to over $1 million a year for the service

AT&T runs a secret program called Project Hemisphere that that searches millions and millions of call records and analyzes cellular data to help law enforcement spy on Americans, according to documents obtained by The Daily Beast.

Police use the data to solve crimes by monitoring if specific cellular towers in the vicinity of wrongdoings picked up a known suspect’s cell phone. The surveillance project comes to light as the company is on the verge of acquiring Time Warner in one of the biggest media mergers in memory.

Law enforcement agencies pay from $100,000 to over $1 million a year for Hemisphere access, according to the Beast. Back in 2013, The New York Times called Hemisphere a partnership between AT&T and the government, but Daily Beast says it’s actually “a product AT&T developed, marketed, and sold at a cost of millions of dollars per year to taxpayers.”

AT&T did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

AT&T documents obtained by Daily Beast show that no warrant is required to access Hemisphere, but it does require a promise not to publicly disclose Hemisphere.

“Companies have to give this data to law enforcement upon request, if they have it. AT&T doesn’t have to data-mine its database to help police come up with new numbers to investigate,” ACLU technology policy analyst Christopher Soghoian told Daily Beast when explaining that all telecommunications companies are obligated to hand over data but AT&T has found a way to profit from it.

AT&T owns significant shares in both the landline and cell phone space, which allows the company to possess information that is used by at least 28 intelligence centers in America, according to the Beast.

One of the centers staffed with federal agents and local cops is the Los Angeles Regional Criminal Information Clearinghouse. Documents show that AT&T wants to keep Hemisphere a secret, but suspects and anyone charged with a crime have the right to know the evidence against them.

“The Government agency agrees not to use the data as evidence in any judicial or administrative proceedings unless there is no other available and admissible probative evidence,” documents obtained by the Beast said.

Comments

  • Kwan Dai
    Kwan Dai Members Posts: 6,929 ✭✭✭✭✭
    While appalling. This isn't a surprise, the govt. has been engaged in spying on it's citizens for decades. Obviously through various methods that are updated with tech. But nothing new none the less.

    Funny how you'd be called a hack for saying something like this 20-30 years ago and now these practices are out in the public space and seem rather frequent.
  • numbaz...80's baby
    numbaz...80's baby Members Posts: 5,104 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It's not like they really have a choice. Might as well make a profit. Government will find a way to shut their ass down if they don't cooperate. You know it and I know it.
  • Crude_
    Crude_ Members Posts: 19,964 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Unless you're a terrorist or a murderer I doubt you have anything to worry about.

    Most people with something to hide use cheap throw away phones anyway that cannot be traced back to a specific name and billing address.

    Funny the federal government broke up the monopoly that was telecommunications in the 1980s I believe which split them into the Bells now known as AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, etc now they are arguably bigger than they were back then even in seperate entities.
  • Lou Cypher
    Lou Cypher Members Posts: 52,521 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Dammit now the cops are going to lock up all of my drug dealers.
  • fortyacres
    fortyacres Members, Moderators Posts: 4,480 Regulator
    the deal wont go throught

    dont they try this ? with T Mobile and they ran into some anti trust law violations a few years back ?
  • Crude_
    Crude_ Members Posts: 19,964 ✭✭✭✭✭
    There is no such thing as privacy it never has been only the illusion of it.
  •   Colin$mackabi$h
    Colin$mackabi$h Members Posts: 16,586 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Why is this just coming out now I wonder
  • Copper
    Copper Members Posts: 49,532 ✭✭✭✭✭
    If you don't like your direct TV watchlist in the hands of the police your anti American
  • JokerzWyld
    JokerzWyld Members Posts: 5,483 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The Intercept did a story on this not too long ago. This is what I expected to happen after the Snowden revelations.
  • Lefty_
    Lefty_ Members, Writer Posts: 3,506 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The only surprise here is that they're not getting it for free.
  • the dukester
    the dukester Members Posts: 1,822 ✭✭✭✭✭
    This doesn't surprise me one bit.

    I specialize in data analytics. I recall a class I took called Google Analytics, and the stuff I learned in that class blew me away!!

    Google knows what website you came from, what website you go to when you leave this site, and how much time you spend on a website.

    All this is done to create customer profiles and revise & edit faq's to heighten website efficiency.

    Racism is a double-edged pendulum that cuts both ways. Indeed whites are affected by racism (not as much) just like we are.

    The government uses black boogeymen, and Muslim terrorist propaganda to create a media narrative to justify more surveillance. Scary cacs fall for it, and the end result is programs like this.

    Corporations have controlled politicians ever since someone coined the term "lobbying" (which originally meant corporate donor's hanging out in the "lobby" waiting for elected officials to come out of meetings).

    In the words of Benjamin Franklin.........

    "Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither."
  • Ether44mag
    Ether44mag Members Posts: 890 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I always acted as if it was normal *shrugs* dont talk on the phone about anything criminal ,leave the phone in the car and take a walk if you need to talk about something illegal...for the rest IDGAF if they hear me talking about how i'm gonna tear some ? up or how I think KD is a ? for going to GSW

    d5i2gzfzix83.gif
  • nex gin
    nex gin Members Posts: 10,698 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The only thing that still amazes me is how in 2016 there are still people who are surprised that this type of stuff goes on. The art of spying has been around as long as mankind. Only things that change are the methods. Always assume that the government and law enforcement will take advantage of every available means to know as much about everybody as possible. Information is power.
  • TheNuttinProffessor
    TheNuttinProffessor Members Posts: 460 ✭✭✭✭
    It's not like they really have a choice. Might as well make a profit. Government will find a way to shut their ass down if they don't cooperate. You know it and I know it.

    Corporations run the government not the other way around

    There is an opioid epidemic because corporations lobbied government officials into letting their shady distributors cook

    Lemme get some sources @Brother_Five
  • rickmogul
    rickmogul Members Posts: 1,961 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Small change. U know those grocery / drug store and discounts u get from scanning that little keychain barcode logo @ the register? DEA and Life insurance companies monitor these purchases.
  • IceBergTaylor
    IceBergTaylor Members Posts: 19,167 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It's not like they really have a choice. Might as well make a profit. Government will find a way to shut their ass down if they don't cooperate. You know it and I know it.

    Corporations run the government not the other way around

    There is an opioid epidemic because corporations lobbied government officials into letting their shady distributors cook

    Lemme get some sources @Brother_Five

    What more proof than you need than corporations funding presidential candidates millions during campaigns?
  • b'mer...
    b'mer... Members Posts: 1,119 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Anyone kno how to navigate the dark web? Supposedly, its untraceable...
  • loch121
    loch121 Members Posts: 12,884 ✭✭✭✭✭
  • rickmogul
    rickmogul Members Posts: 1,961 ✭✭✭✭✭
    All racists organizations support their FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE for all the ? they do.