ATS: AT&T Narus Collaboration Sent Your Private Internet Communications to The NSA

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a brief with specific claims that AT&T has routed the Internet traffic of their customers directly to the National Security Agency. AT&T, the brief claims, has given the government direct access to the Internet communications of millions of ordinary Americans.



If true, we can surmise that this massive disregard for Constitutional rights far exceeds any previous wiretapping stories.

www.dailykos.com...

Earlier today we found out that the EFF had sued AT&T over their secret work with the NSA on surveillance of millions of US citizens without wiretaps. We learned that paragraph 65 of this complaint shows EFF is trying to turn it into a nationwide Class Action suit covering all current and former customers (any after 9/2001) of AT&T. And we learned that a retired AT&T technician had stepped forward and disclosed the installation of secret NSA spy equipment in the San Francisco trunk facility. As well as the belief that similar equipment is in place in Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego.

Specifically, this equipment was the Narus ST-6400, a machine that was capable of monitoring over 622 Mbits/second in real time in May, 2000, and capturing anything that hits its' semantice (i.e. the meaning of the content) triggers. The latest generation is called NarusInsight, capable of monitoring 10 billion bits of data per second.

Follow me over the jump and let's learn some more about the private company Narus, it's founder Ovi Cohen, and board member Bill Crowell. Shall we?

Related News Links:
www.eff.org
yro.slashdot.org
www.dailykos.com

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
ATT Whistle-Blower Outs NSA Spy Room
Text of Gore's "Dangerous Breach" speech at Constitution Hall
ATS: NSA Whistleblower, Russell Tice, Steps Forward

Can't say I'm surprised. I also wont be surprised that more cases of this will be brought to light. AT&T can't be the only corporation that may have their hands in this..

Sigh..

this stuff just keeps coming doesnt it? they just dont stop, gonzales says he doesnt rule out the possibility of wiretapping american citizens conversing with others, and then this where AT&T is doing stuff on the borderline of illegal, if not illegal.

this stuff needs more attention

The problem is that this wont get more attention. It'll hit the news, people will whine a little, a few polls will be presented showing that we're 50/50 on the subject and people will just assume they're on one side of the belief.

Sometimes I really wonder who they ask these polls too, because everyone I talk to is either: a) ignorant that wiretapping is happening and become furious when they learn about it or b) already know about and are pissed.

I've never met a person that is Okay with the gov listening to our phone calls.

Not even the "if you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to worry" line works anymore.. this crap is just outta control.

You'd think this would be a big story here!
There's a thread in Political Conspiracies, with ONE reply, mine:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Is this domestic or international communications?

Originally posted by Nygdan
Is this domestic or international communications?

I beleive AT&T opened its lines to every single person on it's service..

Here's a copy of the suit filed by the EFF
www.eff.org...

I'll skim through it and determine if it states if its international, domestic, or all..

Page 7, line 14 states that:

On information and belief, besides actually eavesdropping on specific conversations,NSA personnel have intercepted large volumes of domestic and international telephone and Internettraffic in search of patterns of interest, in what has been described in press reports as a large “datamining” program.

Page 8, Line 3:

41. On information and belief, AT&T Corp. has provided and continues to provide the government with direct access to all or a substantial number of the communications transmitted through its key domestic telecommunications facilities, including direct access to streams of domestic, international and foreign telephone and Internet communications.

Page 8, line 10:

43. On information and belief, the interception devices acquire the content of all or a substantial number of the wire or electronic communications transferred through the AT&T Corp.
facilities where they have been installed.

Page 8, Line 13:

On information and belief, the pen registers and/or trap and trace devices capture, record or decode the dialing, routing, addressing and/or signaling information (“DRAS information”) for all or a substantial number of the wire or electronic communications transferred through the AT&T Corp. facilities where they have been installed.

It doesnt state specifically anywhere in the suit whether it was domestic, or international. It merely states that access of all traffic from AT&T and all databases supported by AT&T (Daytona Database) was handed over to the NSA.

Excellent. All of my email communications with my father regarding potential conspiracy to read private emails - among other things - will now be available for the NSA's reading pleasure. The irony staggers the imagination.

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe
You'd think this would be a big story here!
There's a thread in Political Conspiracies, with ONE reply, mine:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Finally this is coming out! Thank the Fates!

But I think that I've got you beat, DontTreadOnMe.

Back in January, I think it was, I tried to post a story to ATSNN about the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filing a class action suit against AT&T for violating its customer's privacy rights by collaborating with the NSA. The very suit which initiated this current action.

Not only was there Not A Single Response to my submission, But the submission was voted down as not related to a conspiracy!

And, the post dropped off the boards within just a few hours.

Ah well, all things come to he who waits, I suppose.

I give This submission a hearty

Call it spite if you will, but sometimes we have to subordinate our egos to the noble pursuit of the Truth.

P.S.: Anyone know if story submissions to ATSNN are archived in such a way that they can be added as a saved file to "My ATS"? For posterity's sake...You never forget your first time!

[edit on 10-4-2006 by Bhadhidar]

NSA's equipment doesn't care if the traffic it sees is domestic or international the traffic goes through a series of keyword and semantics combs looking for whatever it is the NSA has designated as traffic of interest. If the equipment detects such traffic it is analized by more specific, more sensitive filters such as specific originators or addressees, specific text dealing with a key target area or target subject, etc. When the traffic triggers a score higher than a preset value (which means that several filters have looked at it and determined it to be of potential interest) then the traffic is shunted into other, more specialized equipment at a different location where it is again analized by automated equipment. (Note, by this time 99.99+ percent of the traffic has been rejected as not of interest.) Only if the traffic continues to register a high score will it be logged and recorded for potential human scanning and/or specialized analysis. There is simply far too much traffic to get a human involved unless the traffic is worthy of the time & expense involved.

[edit on 10-4-2006 by Astronomer68]

I first saw this story on an ATS thread that quoted from Rense dot com and I was skeptical to believe it as rense obviously has a reputation but now that it has crossed into the right side of credibility fence we are forced to take notice of this.
WIRED NEWS
Though this information wouldnt come as a shock to many, keeping in mind the recent illegal wiretapping scandal and all, it certainly raises a few eyebrows as to the level of surveillance our nation is under. What is also surprising is how the IT sector has increasingly become a staging ground for the intelligence community. From what is claimed, the NSA, NARUS and AT&T(and god knows how many other companies nation-wide) have all actively colluded towards such a grand exercise in surveillance.

I wonder why the corporate sector is so eager to help out the intelligence community or is it that the intelligence community is now setting up private companies to mass produce surveillance equipment which it can not do on its own and to do this they are getting private players to partner with them too! I would say that the latter is a definite probability for if we look at the company that makes the surveillance equipment [NARUS] they accuse AT&T of using, is backed by some major names like Intel, NTT software, JP Morgan etc. Not only do they meet their own requirement for surveillance equipment they also make a clean profit with no need to invest in development as the NSA provides them with all the specs already.

I wonder what they will uncover next, surveillance equipment in-built into our computers !? But I guess that would be expected of them too, for as they say; "In God we trust, everyone else we monitor"

Another informative article on Narus Kills VOIP

It's funny to think the NSA are intercepting my emails with attached pictures of the Goatse dude or the Tubgirl. More funnier if they watch my emailed pictures just before lunch time, have a nice dinner, spooks!

EDIT: Warning! If you're not on NSA's payroll, DO NOT attempt googling for aforementioned pictures, because your eyes cannot unsee gross pictures. You've been warned, so don't blame me!


[edit on 10-4-2006 by ufia]

I wonder how they like my "Piano Player" flash

Read my lips: "Our government is looking at INTERNATIONAL calls only. USA to other countries, and other countries to the USA.- George W Bush

Originally posted by Bhadhidar

P.S.: Anyone know if story submissions to ATSNN are archived in such a way that they can be added as a saved file to "My ATS"? For posterity's sake...You never forget your first time!

I've found your thread here:


AT&T Sued for Aiding Gov't Spying (moved from ATSNN)

Can you believe this is the first time I've seen it?

To me it's incredible that members would vote such a topic down. I mean articles like these is what denying ignorance and ATS is all about. Astonishing! Amazing! Horrifying!


[edit on 10-4-2006 by TheBandit795]

I havnt had a chance to go through all the links, however if there is an outburst, could the NSA mention that this is to protect US from terrorists. They could mention that they are collecting all the information and then filtering the information and are targetting those towards whom they have a suspicion. Wouldnt this be covered in the patriotic act?

I havnt read through all the links provided, so dnt hit me too hard if this has been covered, thankyou

Cheers
K23

posted by Astronomer68: “NSA's equipment doesn't care . . NSA has designated as ‘traffic of interest’ . . then the traffic is shunted into more specialized equipment . . by this time 99.99+ percent of the traffic has been rejected . . There is simply too much traffic to get a human involved unless the traffic is worthy of the time & expense involved. [Edited by Don W]

Thanks, A-68, for an informative post. I’m an old person who has already lived those promised years in the Holy Bible, 70. You might say I’m on “borrowed” time. I am less effected by the new “rules of engagement” than most of you. I don’t like what I’m seeing in 2006, but then, I don’t want to be caught dumb and ill-prepared again.

I think this practice - snooping without a warrant - or any probably cause - has happened for a long time and in many places around the world. When the practice is done by competent and honest bureaucrats, we really never hear of it. It is handled discretely and I guess, properly, in the most civil of senses.

The frightening temptation is for the persons in power to misuse the information so gleaned. This is the issue I’d like to see addressed at the highest levels. The kind of duplicity this current administrant practices on a daily basis leaves me no confidence in any actions they might propose or take. Our security is more in our numbers than in the laws of the land or the people who swore oaths to uphold them. That is lamentable.

Originally posted by TheBandit795

Originally posted by Bhadhidar

P.S.: Anyone know if story submissions to ATSNN are archived in such a way that they can be added as a saved file to "My ATS"? For posterity's sake...You never forget your first time!

I've found your thread here:


AT&T Sued for Aiding Gov't Spying (moved from ATSNN)

Can you believe this is the first time I've seen it?

To me it's incredible that members would vote such a topic down. I mean articles like these is what denying ignorance and ATS is all about. Astonishing! Amazing! Horrifying!


[edit on 10-4-2006 by TheBandit795]

Thank you so much for the link Bandit!

I was quite suprised myself...especially considering the speed with which this submission was "swept under the rug?' so to speak.

Why, it almost seemed like.......

A Conspiracy!

Originally posted by Astronomer68
the traffic goes through a series of keyword and semantics combs looking for whatever it is the NSA has designated as traffic of interest.

Isn't this what google ads and the google searches do?

There is simply far too much traffic to get a human involved unless the traffic is worthy of the time & expense involved.

So in a sense then the government is 'outsourcing' or contracting out some of its spy work to AT&T.

And presumably after the information gets through this initial 'non-governmental' phase, where its just looking at the information itself, then it starts getting connected to individual people.

Presumably they will say that the fact that the communication raised so many flags or had such a high priority score, that that means it was 'reasonable' to connect it to the individual communicators without a wiretap.

IAF101
I wonder what they will uncover next, surveillance equipment in-built into our computers !?

I thought that computers basically do this anyway, that by connecting to the internet you are effectively saying 'here is who I am and this is what I am doing and where I am doing it'? But, even beyond that, didn't microsoft have it set up so that they had tracking data built into new computers, at least for their corporation's use?

Oh absolutely duckie...I am so fricking thrilled. Now watch them spin this like a bloody top...oh its for your own protection and bullhooey like that....a big difference than just a few calls that terrorists were making huh?