AT&T wiretapping: Your two-minute guide

Danny sez, "Mark Klein, the whistleblower at the heart of EFF's case against AT&T over their complicity in the warrantless wiretapping of their users, went to Washington this week. He's explaining to Congressfolk and journalists there exactly what AT&T is doing, why it's blatantly illegal, and why Congress shouldn't give them retroactive immunity for their crimes. Senator Chris Dodd's staff edited together a two minute YouTube interview with Klein. It lays out pretty effectively what's at stake here." Link (Thanks, Danny!)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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the table is the table

i don’t know how to contact any of you directly, but i read the site regularly.

you know that all of the post-4:32 pm posts today are underlined as hyperlinks as a whole? i’m assuming yes, but uh… just thought you should know.

-the table
jasonjackson

When I try to discuss this issue with coworkers, software developer and other tech geeks, very few of them are aware of this issue or are confused about the details. If these individuals are confused, I can imagine what the lay people must think about all of this AT&T wiretapping stuff.

Thanks for the video. This is a pretty good explanation, though it could have gone into a little more history in the matter. Still, I plan on forwarding it to a number of people.
CristÃ³bal Palmer

Oh good. The video’s back. Excellent two minutes. Thanks to the EFF!
EH

There’s good overview over at talkingpointsmemo.
noen

Congressional Democrats are complicit in dismantling our constitutional rights. They know exactly what is going on in the Bush admin and they don’t mind it one bit. They approve of spying on you and they have already taken away your right to a fair trial. They approve of torture and extraordinary rendition even for American citizens. They approve of the war in Iraq and the coming nuclear war with Iran. People think the Dems are afraid or weak. They are not. Dems do not object because they do not object.
sexyrobot

there is an alternative…in australia at least…check out their senator on-line project…its kind of badass…link

and meanwhile, on bb gadgets…a post on how insanely cool the new at&t ads are…

like seriously, what. the. fuck?
Adam H

Hey, boingboing folk, both producers and readers.
I’m a student at BU Law School, and would like to try and get Mr. Klein to come and speak at the school about his experiences.
However, I have no idea how to get in touch with him.

Any ideas?

thanks.
Adam H

testing
agnot

Testing what, our patience!?
CristÃ³bal Palmer

eff.org link is down for me. Anybody got a mirror?
CristÃ³bal Palmer

Scratch that. http://www.eff.org seems to be down. It responds to ping but not to http requests. Connection times out.
sexyrobot

maybe it’s TOO LATE.
~^
risser

This whole retroactive immunity thing is stupid. I just got a speeding ticket for going 38 in a 25. But, it’s a big 4-lane road, I honestly thought it was 35. I told the cop, and he told me it’s *my* responsibility as a citizen to know the laws.

“I didn’t know” just isn’t a valid legal defense, and I’m not sure (well, I *am* $$$ure actually) why our elected body is considering defending these entities, which are at best shirkers and are at worse criminals, traitors and/or co-conspriators.
absimiliard

Our elected body is defending these entities because they approve of what they’re doing. I agree entirely with Noen.

Both the Democrats and Republicans are clearly in favor of expanding executive power, even at the expense of the law and even the Constitution. The Republicans like it because they’re in power now, the Democrats because they hope to be in the Executive next time around.

In this particular instance I’m sure the contributions of AT&T and other telcos has something to do with the Democrats abandoning their duties to check the other branches of our government.

But as a general principle I think they would approve of the Excecutive power-grab anyway. Look at what they have done when we’ve had a Democratic President for proof. Massive expansion of Executive power via the War-on-Some-Drugs at the expense of the other branches.

All par for the course in my opinion.

-absimiliard