We are now finding out that in 2011, U.S. Law Enforcement made over 1.3 Million information requests to the nations mobile carriers including the big four; AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon. These requests for personal subscriber information often end up in the carriers turning over information consisting of data dumps that reveal location information, call logs and more.
This wiretapping is going on without a warrant and violating the privacy rights of ordinary citizens. Prior to 9/11, all wiretapping of American citizens by the National Security Agency [NSA] required a warrant from a three-judge court set up under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. After 9/11, congress under the George W. Bush administration, signed the Patriot Act into law and the NSA implemented the Electronic Surveillance Program.
For the first time, data has been collected on a national level that reveals the extent of cell phone wiretapping. Since 2007, more and more Americans have become subject to wiretapping and according to mobile service providers, in 2011 law enforcement agencies issued approximately 1.3 million information requests which exposed text messages and other digital data from its users; 2,732 wiretapping requests were also submitted.
In these two videos below, you’ll hear Kade Crockford, privacy rights coordinator for ACLU talking with RT and Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian of the Young Turks Network discussing this alarming issue. Thankfully there are organizations such as the ACLU and EFF advocating for change.
For more info on this:
1.3M Cellphone Snooping Requests Yearly? It’s Time for Privacy and Transparency Laws [wired]
Cell Phone Location Tracking Public Records Request [ACLU]
Police Are Using Phone Tracking as a Routine Tool [NY Times]
FYI: How Can I Protect My Cell Phone Data Records From Law Enforcement Subpoenas? [Pop Sci]
photo: truthout
