Not sure how we'll COPE

[Drasca]

One more wrinkle to the NSA spying on US citizens scandal:

PDF documents from AT&T attorneys reveal details confirming previous allegations of NSA wiretapping

AT&T attorneys released a legal briefing with three pages of redacted information in a PDF format. Unfortunately for AT&T and the US National Security Agency, the censored information was still readable in many PDF viewing applications. The document was part of the same EFF lawsuit filed back in February of this year.

The document alluded that a room in one of AT&T's switching centers is dedicated to NSA digital eavesdropping -- complete with backup fiber optic splices and monitoring equipment. CNET claims the following is part of the censored text with regard to the NSA room: "Although the plaintiffs ominously refer to the equipment as the 'Surveillance Configuration,' the same physical equipment could be utilized exclusively for other surveillance in full compliance with [the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act]."

This accidental leak of information comes on the heels of a separate document leak incident orchestrated by AT&T insider and whistleblower Mark Klein. Klein claims he spliced fiber optic cable to a room in an AT&T switching center for the NSA. That room, it turns out, is the same room mentioned in the PDF document that was improperly censored.

Cable companies have been quick to jump on the negative press surrounding AT&T and its alleged breach of privacy. Several cable companies including Comcast, Cox and Time Warner, issued statements claiming they will not provide the NSA with unwarranted information.

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=2558