It's Not Just News Corp: Is Comcast Spying on You Every Day?

[kpete]

It's Not Just News Corp: Is Comcast Spying on You Every Day?
Submitted by BuzzFlash on Thu, 08/18/2011 - 11:38am. Guest Commentary
ELLIOT COHEN FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT

When Guardian reporter, Nick Davies, broke the story that Rupert Murdoch's News of the World had been hacking British citizens' voicemail messages, including those of a murdered teenager, there was a public outcry. Unfortunately, this is the tip of a glacial iceberg that has the potential to bring down a lot more than the News of the World.

Last year, without due public debate and input, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Justice Department approved a merger between Comcast and NBC Universal that gave the Internet cable giant control over the programming of NBC news. At the same time, pursuant to the 2008 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Amendments Act, Comcast as well as all other telecommunication companies are required to cooperate with the Federal government in providing the facility for government to search through all electronic communications sent down their pipes.

So presently, the government, with the help of Comcast and other telecommunication companies, can hack everyone's phone and email conversations. Here also lies a new 21st century media model: a telecom company that owns and operates the infrastructure for the digital transmission of news and information; simultaneously owns the newsroom; and uses it infrastructure to assist the government in mass, warrantless surveillance of all American citizens.

The News of the World spied on a relatively few number of individuals for the purpose of getting a story. Comcast routinely spies on millions of people on behalf of government. The official purpose of such spying is to uncover terrorist plots; however, racial profiling can be used to conduct searches; mass sweeps are warrantless; and adequate judicial oversight of screening criteria and procedures is lacking. Worse still, in this brave new world, the media entrusted to keep an eye on government abuses of power is now part of this overreaching power structure.

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more:
http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12952

[leveymg]

1. Requirement for telcos to install spying equipment goes back to '96 CALEA Act

Unfortunately, this really isn't new. All the phone companies and ISPs have been required for 15 years by law to install "diverter" equipment that allows the Feds to split off and record voice, e-mail, faxes, IMs, websurfing URLs, naughty picture viewing, visits to DU, etc.

The thing that's changed under the Patriot Act is that the Feds no longer require individualized FISA warrants, and the NSA routinely scoops up and stores vast amounts of communications that's data-mined by other federal agencies in a vast profiling operation. That's The Program that was legalized with the yes vote of Senator Obama in the '08 FISA Amendment.

What's your Terrorist Potential algorithm?