AT&T engineer: NSA built secret rooms in our facilities

[mactastic]

Caught this (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060412-6585.html) post over at ArsTechnica today. It supports my theory that this "Terrorist Surveillance Program" is much more of a data-mining operation than targeted surveillance.
The EFF's case against AT&T has barely begun, yet it has already brought to light some fascinating details about the methods behind the NSA's alleged wiretapping abilities. Mark Klein, a retired AT&T engineer who is now participating in the case as a witness, has released a statement to the media in which he outlines many of the allegations that are currently under seal. Chief among them is his claim that AT&T installed powerful traffic monitoring equipment in a "secret room" in their San Francisco switching office at the behest of the NSA.

"In 2002, when I was working in an AT&T office in San Francisco, the site manager told me to expect a visit from a National Security Agency agent, who was to interview a management-level technician for a special job. The agent came, and by chance I met him and directed him to the appropriate people.

In January 2003, I, along with others, toured the AT&T central office on Folsom Street in San Francisco—actually three floors of an SBC building. There I saw a new room being built adjacent to the 4ESS switch room where the public's phone calls are routed. I learned that the person whom the NSA interviewed for the secret job was the person working to install equipment in this room. The regular technician work force was not allowed in the room."

According to Klein, this room contained (among other things) a Narus STA 6400 traffic analyzer into which all of AT&T's Internet and phone traffic was routed; Klein himself helped wire the splitter box that made this possible. In addition to AT&T's own traffic, Klein alleges that the company also routed its peering links into the splitter, meaning that any traffic that passed through AT&T's own network could be scanned. Futhermore, San Francisco wasn't the only place such secret rooms were built; Klein claims that AT&T offices in Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles, and San Diego also have them.

So what exactly is a Narus STA 6400? It's hard to get precise details for obvious reasons, but Narus does describe the system in general terms. Others have done a bit more digging and claim that the system can analyze more than 10 billion bits of data per second, and point out that the company sells its systems to governments worldwide. Saudi Telecom and Telecom Egypt both use Narus equipment to monitor and apparently block VoIP traffic in their countries, for instance, and they they recently inked a similar deal with Shanghai Telecom.

Given the massive scale of the spy operation in the US (and this is only one company; it's not yet clear if the NSA has partnered with other telecom firms), it's growing increasingly difficult to believe that this is truly "targeted surveillance." The equipment used and the vast scale of the information being monitored both suggest that the NSA is sifting through massive amounts of user data and phone calls. Much of the information that passes through their spy system must therefore be domestic rather than international in nature. It is possible that phone calls, for instance, that begin and end in the US are simply passed through the system without being scanned, but if so, this must certainly tempt the NSA, which has only to tweak their settings to see all that new data. What is actually being monitored is still unclear, but it looks as though this trial could bring much of it to light.
We'll probably hear more about this kind of stuff as the EFF case wends it's way forward. Dollars to donuts, the NSA was dipping into the conversations of regular Americans without any kind of warrant.

On a related note, those Narus machines sound badass... The techie in me is impressed.

[xsedrinam]

I agree that we're sure to hear and learn more of this over time. What's surprising is that the current map of NSA Octopus (http://www.nsawatch.org/nsa_octopus.jpg) doesn't include the Miami area.

[zimv20]

if my domestic phonecalls are not analyzed by computer, and haven't been for at least a few years, then color me surprised.

[Thomas Veil]

Attention George Bush, Dick Cheney and the NSA: DO NOT PROTECT ME. I do not want you logging every e-mail I send, recording every debit card swipe I perform, and cataloguing every library book I borrow. You say you are doing this for my own good. I say, don't do me any favors. I'll take my chances with the terrorists; they're less pervasive. I figure I have a one in a million chance of being hurt or killed by terrorists, but a 1-in-1 chance of becoming the subject of a police state. I like my odds with the terrorists, thank you.

[mactastic]

if my domestic phonecalls are not analyzed by computer, and haven't been for at least a few years, then color me surprised.
Yeah, same here. The technology is certainly there. Would be nice if the government would admit it though.

[solvs]

I don't understand why more Republicans don't have a problem with this. It goes against everything they supposedly stand for. Wonder how they'd feel if the pres had a (D) next to him name.

[aquajet]

I don't understand why more Republicans don't have a problem with this. It goes against everything they supposedly stand for.

Republicans seem to be increasingly for things they're against these days.

[solvs]

Republicans seem to be increasingly for things they're against these days.
Yeah, what are they... Democrats? :p

[EricNau]

I could care less if someone was listening to my phone calls... They'd just get bored and disconnect after 5 minutes anyway. :o

[aquajet]

I could care less if someone was listening to my phone calls... They'd just get bored and disconnect after 5 minutes anyway. :o

You really should care, EricNau. It's indifference such as yours that's leading to the fulfillment George Orwell's prophecies.

[zimv20]

I could care less if someone was listening to my phone calls... They'd just get bored and disconnect after 5 minutes anyway. :o
"that lou reed concert was the bomb. he played five songs from his album New York".

*ding!*

your file just got a little thicker. it's not humans listening in, it's software that picks out words and phrases and flags you. it doesn't get "bored".

echelon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECHELON)

[EricNau]

You really should care, EricNau. It's indifference such as yours that's leading to the fulfillment George Orwell's prophecies.
How exactly?

"that lou reed concert was the bomb. he played five songs from his album New York".

*ding!*

your file just got a little thicker. it's not humans listening in, it's software that picks out words and phrases and flags you. it doesn't get "bored".
Thank God I don't speak like that. :p

[zimv20]

Thank God I don't speak like that. :p
yes. god forbid you'd actually wonder how a democracy sustains itself.

[mactastic]

I could care less if someone was listening to my phone calls... They'd just get bored and disconnect after 5 minutes anyway. :o
Own a gun?

Could you care less if your house or apartment got searched without your knowledge?

Care if your business rivals got access to your financial statements?

Or what if government priorities change, and suddenly things you do are of interest to the government?

[Ugg]

I could care less if someone was listening to my phone calls... They'd just get bored and disconnect after 5 minutes anyway. :o

It's not just your phone but your email and surfing habits as well. What have you googled in the past year? Anything remotely related to Iraq or Islam or..... How many people are on the don't fly list that shouldn't be there?

[yg17]

How many people are on the don't fly list that shouldn't be there?


My sister is one of those that gets "randomly" searched everytime she flys. Not hard to understand why....she was very active with the ACLU and anti-war groups in college. At least that's the only reason she can come up with because we're not from the middle east, and being a law student, she doesn't exactly look suspicious either. Sometimes what the govt can do is disgusting

[iPhil]

Attention George Bush, Dick Cheney and the NSA: DO NOT PROTECT ME. I do not want you logging every e-mail I send, recording every debit card swipe I perform, and cataloguing every library book I borrow. You say you are doing this for my own good. I say, don't do me any favors. I'll take my chances with the terrorists; they're less pervasive. I figure I have a one in a million chance of being hurt or killed by terrorists, but a 1-in-1 chance of becoming the subject of a police state. I like my odds with the terrorists, thank you.


I'm with ya .. Quit the secret data digging that the public already knows ..:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

doesn't take a frackin 2yrs to get wire-tap .. Only a few hours after the 3rd day of taping that you need go the courts for the warrant to continue the tap :confused: :confused:

[aquajet]

How exactly?


Thank God I don't speak like that. :p

If you're fine with your government surveilling you 24/7, maintaining a file on you to determine whether or not you're guilt of thoughtcrime; reducing the War on Terror to a matter of black and white, labeling you unpatriotic if you don't agree; concentration camps for the purpose of "national security," built by none other than America's favorite corporation, Halliburton; the recent declaration of the War on Terror as "The Long War," thus officially creating the Ministry of Peace; the Ministry of Love at Abu Ghriab; and other dystopian garbage, then you've got it made. But must of us don't want to live in a world like this. And as long as you think the way you do, Big Brother will never die.

[Lyle]

My sister is one of those that gets "randomly" searched everytime she flys. Not hard to understand why....she was very active with the ACLU and anti-war groups in college. At least that's the only reason she can come up with because we're not from the middle east, and being a law student, she doesn't exactly look suspicious either. Sometimes what the govt can do is disgustingI've always voted Republican and have never been involved with the ACLU or anti-war groups (present company excluded of course). I get randomly selected by airport security so often that it's become a kind of joke between my wife and me.

[pseudobrit]

I've always voted Republican and have never been involved with the ACLU or anti-war groups (present company excluded of course). I get randomly selected by airport security so often that it's become a kind of joke between my wife and me.

I've been involved with the ACLU for a long time and have never been given any trouble at airport security. I get waved right through every time.

I don't understand why exactly involvement with the ACLU would warrant suspicion or even the expectation of suspicion from the government. As if anyone who supported an organisation that defends the Bill of Rights through legal action would also likely be an America-hating terrorist bomber.

[EricNau]

If you're fine with your government surveilling you 24/7, maintaining a file on you to determine whether or not you're guilt of thoughtcrime; reducing the War on Terror to a matter of black and white, labeling you unpatriotic if you don't agree; concentration camps for the purpose of "national security," built by none other than America's favorite corporation, Halliburton; the recent declaration of the War on Terror as "The Long War," thus officially creating the Ministry of Peace; the Ministry of Love at Abu Ghriab; and other dystopian garbage, then you've got it made. But must of us don't want to live in a world like this. And as long as you think the way you do, Big Brother will never die.
I love how people always categorize others into the "black & white" of either republican or democrat. You automatically assume if I feel it is OK for the government to listen to my phone calls, I also believe in the War of Terror, the way prisoners were treated at Abu Ghriab, and everything else the Bush Administration stands for; which is not true.
You took something I said and turned it into something totally different, just like you say our government is doing.

It can be summed up as "If you haven't anything to hide, you need not worry."

...And what does it matter if the government is spying on you and has "your secret file"? Get over the fact that someone might know your dirty little secrets, and really it's not a big problem. Unless of course one day the whisk you away to one of the concentration camps you speak of. :rolleyes:

[pseudobrit]

It can be summed up as "If you haven't anything to hide, you need not worry."

I always thought it was "I haven't anything to hide so they shouldn't be looking."

[aquajet]

I love how people always categorize others into the "black & white" of either republican or democrat. You automatically assume if I feel it is OK for the government to listen to my phone calls, I also believe in the War of Terror, the way prisoners were treated at Abu Ghriab, and everything else the Bush Administration stands for; which is not true.
You took something I said and turned it into something totally different, just like you say our government is doing.

I apologize; I didn't intend to suggest you believe all those things. I was merely trying to illustrate how events today fit into the context of Orwell's warnings.

It can be summed up as "If you haven't anything to hide, you need not worry."

And isn't that exactly your point...

...And what does it matter if the government is spying on you and has "your secret file"?

It matters to me because it's not any of their ****ing business.

[EricNau]

And isn't that exactly your point...
Ya, I was summing up my point. :)

[Thomas Veil]

I always thought it was "I haven't anything to hide so they shouldn't be looking."I like that turn-of-phrase.

Another one I've heard that I like is a variation on the old "America, love it or leave it" phrase: "America: change it or lose it." :)

[badmofo9000]

It really doesn't bother me that they are listening. I have nothing to fear. If this stops one terrorist attack it is worth in my opinon.

[EricNau]

It really doesn't bother me that they are listening. I have nothing to fear. If this stops one terrorist attack it is worth in my opinon.
Exactly. Even if one life is saved somewhere, it is all worth it.

[xsedrinam]

It really doesn't bother me that they are listening. I have nothing to fear. If this stops one terrorist attack it is worth in my opinon.
What if several thousand are blacklisted (http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/12/16/thaila12317.htm) in error and wrongfully persecuted? Are you willing to support that type of regime?

[Peace]

Wanna hear a scary tale? Not sure if it's true or not but..

I've been around the internet for many.many years as "Peace".since 1989 I believe..My views are well known on other boards like The Grateful Dead's official message board..Anyway..

When a phone is tapped in the USA normally one hears a beep every few seconds.Well..
I don't hear that whan a call is made or a call is received, however..

I used my Powerbook to send a fax the other day and BEFORE it started sending the fax and DURING the transmission I could clearly hear a beep every 3 or 4 seconds..Now I'm not real sure if that's just the FAX or if my telephone line is bugged..

I'm not saying I do anything illegal.I DON'T..But I do speak my mind about the current sad state of affairs in the USA..

Beware..Big Brother IS watching.;)

[skunk]

Exactly. Even if one life is saved somewhere, it is all worth it.Even if it costs you your democracy?

[Royal Pineapple]

i had a great uncle who was thought(known?) to be a communist during the mccarthy era. my uncle actually KNEW that his phone was tapped, and as a result always answered the phone with the words "******* Truman, Hello?"
he ended up moving out of the country shortly thereafter.

[zimv20]

Even if one life is saved somewhere, it is all worth it.
the tragedy is two-fold: first, that you don't know enough to know what you're saying. second, that there are a lot of people like you, and that is why our democracy will die.

[Peace]

Whats the Ben Franklin words?

"If one is willing to give up freedom for security one doesn't deserve neither"

[Electro Funk]

I'm with ya .. Quit the secret data digging that the public already knows ..:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

doesn't take a frackin 2yrs to get wire-tap .. Only a few hours after the 3rd day of taping that you need go the courts for the warrant to continue the tap :confused: :confused:

Ummm... were talking NSA here... you really think they take the time to do this the LEGAL way and get a warrent for the tap? HELL NO! they just do it...

[Sedulous]

How exactly?


Thank God I don't speak like that. :p

Though we're not to Orwellian proportions yet, this is how it starts.

[Sedulous]

It really doesn't bother me that they are listening. I have nothing to fear. If this stops one terrorist attack it is worth in my opinon.

Haven't you been reading the news at all? BEFORE any of this was "needed" they could have stopped these attacks if they were less busy worrying about stains on blue dresses.

[Sedulous]

Goddamn it people! Don't you understand? It doesn't matter if you are doing anything "bad". We didn't need all this against a much more powerful and techincally advanced enemy - the soviets. The trend now is to eliminate your rights - the very rights that made the U.S. strong, and coincidentally worth fighting for - and slowly the democracy that the "terrorists" supposedly hate, will dissolve into a totalitarian nightmare.

You trust George? First it was "no, we aren't spying". Then it was "yeah, we are spying but only a little". Now it is "we are spying on everyone all the time". So now they can gather info on democrats or other opposition and really "ice" their control. That, my friends is scary. But that makes you feel safe I guess.

[skunk]

You trust George? First it was "no, we aren't spying". Then it was "yeah, we are spying but only a little". Now it is "we are spying on everyone all the time". So now they can gather info on democrats or other opposition and really "ice" their control. That, my friends is scary. But that makes you feel safe I guess.Some people are easily satisfied.

[Thomas Veil]

We didn't need all this against a much more powerful and techincally advanced enemy - the soviets.I wonder, had the technology to tap every computer, every phone line, existed back in the Soviet days, if some president would've played on our fears of the Communists and told us it (wiretapping) was for our own good.

Worth thinking about.

Wanna hear a scary tale? Not sure if it's true or not but..

I've been around the internet for many.many years as "Peace".since 1989 I believe..My views are well known on other boards like The Grateful Dead's official message board..Anyway..

When a phone is tapped in the USA normally one hears a beep every few seconds.Well..
I don't hear that whan a call is made or a call is received, however..

I used my Powerbook to send a fax the other day and BEFORE it started sending the fax and DURING the transmission I could clearly hear a beep every 3 or 4 seconds..Now I'm not real sure if that's just the FAX or if my telephone line is bugged..

I'm not saying I do anything illegal.I DON'T..But I do speak my mind about the current sad state of affairs in the USA..

Beware..Big Brother IS watching.;)Maybe they're listening in on you. Maybe they're not. The point is that they've got you wondering. In a free country, you shouldn't have to wonder if your government is surveilling you.

[Sedulous]

I wonder, had the technology to tap every computer, every phone line, existed back in the Soviet days, if some president would've played on our fears of the Communists and told us it (wiretapping) was for our own good.

Worth thinking about.

We certainly didn't have the levels of secrecy. Everything with Bushco is protected by "national security". Remember the "classified" meetings Cheney had not long before the California rolling blackouts, massive energy price hikes, and Enron? They still won't even say who he met with. Why is a meeting with energy executives classified?

[solvs]

Exactly. Even if one life is saved somewhere, it is all worth it.
If it was really about saving lives, they'd just get warrants. They aren't hard to get, you can even get one after the fact. It's written in the Constitution for a reason you know, so King George couldn't just do whatever he wanted without some kind of checks and balances system. But instead they claim it's about terrorism, or kiddie porn, or whatever else and people like you are willing to throw your rights right out the window completely against what this country is supposed to stand for.

You have nothing to hide, tell that to the innocent victims of McCarthy.

[Thomas Veil]

We certainly didn't have the levels of secrecy. Everything with Bushco is protected by "national security". Remember the "classified" meetings Cheney had not long before the California rolling blackouts, massive energy price hikes, and Enron? They still won't even say who he met with. Why is a meeting with energy executives classified?If we elect a Democrat president in 2008, you just watch. The paper shredders are going to be going full-blast, 24/7. There will be tons of evidence to get rid of.

Anecdotal evidence is another story, however. I can't wait to hear what some of the CIA and NSA people are going to tell us, once they feel they can speak freely.

[solvs]

I can't wait to hear what some of the CIA and NSA people are going to tell us, once they feel they can speak freely.
Who says we have to wait until '08. That's what they get for blaming the CIA for their intelligence cherry-picking, outing one of their agents for political reasons against her spouse, and making it harder for both agencies to do their jobs legally and effectively. I expect more stuff to come out as they make the same mistakes, such as with Iran.

Not to mention people like Libby, who are spilling to cut deals so they don't become fall guys, and Mike Browne who's already been there and sick of it.

[EricNau]

No one here can give me a good reason why it matters if they are spying on you.

All you can say is "it's an invasion of privacy" or "they are taking away my rights." ...OK, but why does that matter? Why do you need your privacy?

Are you doing things that are illegal? Are you involved in a terrorist plot against America?

If they listened to every single conversation I had, I couldn't care less.

[yg17]

No one here can give me a good reason why it matters if they are spying on you.

All you can say is "it's an invasion of privacy" or "they are taking away my rights." ...OK, but [u]why[u/] does that matter? Why do you need your privacy?

Are you doing things that are illegal? Are you involved in a terrorist plot against America?

If they listened to every single conversation I had, I couldn't care less.


Maybe you don't, but I value my privacy. I don't care if my phone call is nothing more than a friend and I deciding where and when to meet. I value my privacy and would like to think that no one's listening. It's one of the only things we had left in this country, thanks to the patriot act, and now that's going to hell in a handbasket.

First it will be phone calls. Before we'll know it, they'll be installing cameras in places you don't want cameras. Someone has to stop the govt now before its too late.

[tristan]

But howcome every cop show I watch, they always have to keep the guy on the phone for a couple minutes so they can trace the call? :-)

[zimv20]

No one here can give me a good reason why it matters if they are spying on you.
i'll give you two. first, such power is open to abuse, and has been. nixon spied on his political enemies, for example. second, the right to privacy in our homes is guaranteed in the ****ing constitution, the only thing which provides our freedom.

do you, in fact, care about the constitution?

and what's your mother's maiden name?

[solvs]

No one here can give me a good reason why it matters if they are spying on you.
Well, you haven't exactly given a reason why it doesn't bother you (even if you have "nothing to hide"), but I'll bite. They can actually spy on you. But they need a warrant first. Why? Because the government can't just do whatever it wants. I already pointed that out above, but I'll go into detail if you'd like. Maybe you never have personal conversations on the phone. Maybe you don't have any embarrassing pics on your computer. But can you actually say you wouldn't mind if someone walked into your house and rummaged through your stuff? It's the same principle. You have nothing to hide, but it would still bother you because it's your stuff. Think about it. You give the government a free ride to invade innocent people's privacy because you're afraid. Nevermind that if they were actually guilty, or even under suspicion due to probably cause, we have this thing called due process where others oversee what these people are doing to make sure they keep things legal. But hey, you have nothing to hide.

So when the government tells you that you can't fly because your name is like someone else's. Or some random government employee like the guy who got caught trying to pick up the teenage girl is looking your emails, or listening to your phone calls, or breaking into your house, none of this would bother you because they said they were after terrorists? It's a slippery slope, and I think you've become too comfortable to realize how bad it could get. I'm not saying tomorrow they'll break down your door, haul you off to jail without a trial, and torture you, but by your reasoning, it's ok because they might save 1 life even if they destroy the lives of everyone else. What good is security without freedom? Go look up McCarthy, or Germany in the 30's (yeah, I know, it's the extreme... but I want to make sure it never happens again that bad), or any other oppressed society and you'll see why the Founding Fathers set things up the way they did.

Now tell me again why it's ok for the government to do whatever it wants without repercussion, because that's pretty much exactly the opposite of what this country was founded upon.

[Thomas Veil]

Why do you need your privacy?Because of all of the reasons solves, zimv20 and yg17 listed above. But most of all, because of this (http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment04/).

[Lyle]

I always thought it was "I haven't anything to hide so they shouldn't be looking."I like that, I need to remember it.

And yes, it absolutely should matter to you if your government is spying on you. Especially if you have nothing to hide. ;)

[aquajet]

No one here can give me a good reason why it matters if they are spying on you.

All you can say is "it's an invasion of privacy" or "they are taking away my rights." ...OK, but [u]why[u/] does that matter? Why do you need your privacy?

Are you doing things that are illegal? Are you involved in a terrorist plot against America?

If they listened to every single conversation I had, I couldn't care less.

Because it's your right as an American citizen. That's reason enough.

The Bush administration has stripped away your fourth amendment rights. How many more rights are you willing to give up so that you can feel "safe?" Why don't we just suspend the whole Constitution? Bush could declare himself Führer. He could dissolve Congress and the courts. That would eliminate all the checks and balances. That'll make us safer, right?

[EricNau]

I guess the way I am looking at it right now is Mr. Bush is like a little girl who got caught sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar right before Dinner.

...Did he break the rules? Yes. Was any real harm done? No. Does this give him permission to break further laws? No.

Everyone here has valid points, mainly, Bush should not have done this illegally, I can agree there, but I do not feel that this means Bush is going to be the next Hitler and send all of us away to concentration camps.

Give the girl a slap on the hand (and maybe a whack upside the head for good measure) and just call it a day. I'm not going to walk around everywhere looking over my shoulder thinking someone is spying on me... That's just pointless.

[atszyman]

Give the girl a slap on the hand (and maybe a whack upside the head for good measure) and just call it a day.


And that's exactly why some of us are really mad about this stuff. There is no "Slap on the hand." There is absolutely no accountability with the current government. Congress sits back and does nothing every time news like this comes out. I'd be happy if the Censure motion gets passed, if it's even still on the floor, but that won't happen either. Someone needs to "Slap" the president but none of the other branches seem to have any backbone.

[Sedulous]

I guess the way I am looking at it right now is Mr. Bush is like a little girl who got caught sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar right before Dinner.

...Did he break the rules? Yes. Was any real harm done? No. Does this give him permission to break further laws? No.

Everyone here has valid points, mainly, Bush should not have done this illegally, I can agree there, but I do not feel that this means Bush is going to be the next Hitler and send all of us away to concentration camps.

Give the girl a slap on the hand (and maybe a whack upside the head for good measure) and just call it a day. I'm not going to walk around everywhere looking over my shoulder thinking someone is spying on me... That's just pointless.

Ugh, it isn't the single "act" of spying. It is the steady erosion of rights. Spying without accountability is a large step in the wrong direction. Bush hasn't just taken a single cookie. He keeps going back and taking more. Now he has taken all the cookies and making a move to take the entire kitchen. It is only a matter of time before he takes over the entire house.

[aquajet]

I guess the way I am looking at it right now is Mr. Bush is like a little girl who got caught sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar right before Dinner.

...Did he break the rules? Yes. Was any real harm done? No. Does this give him permission to break further laws? No.

In my opinion, your cookie analogy just goes to show how little you know about the most basic, fundamental rights afforded to us by the Consitution of the United States of America. If you are unable to realize the perversion that is the Bush administration and how much damage it's done to this country as a result of its gross abuse of power, then it's my opinion that you deserve to live in fear. Bush didn't "break the rules," he put a huge tear into the fiber of all this country stands for.

[Thomas Veil]

This isn't just one thing, it's more and more stuff...like his recent signing statements where he says he does not feel impelled to obey the laws Congress passed if he feels it jeopardizes national security.

He is not allowed to make that determination. Congress passed the law, and Bush is not above it.

This stuff goes to the very core of our Constitution. The moment elected officials feel they can violate the Constitution is the moment we open ourselves up to the possibility of a dictatorship.

[mactastic]

Was any real harm done? No.
How do you know? How do we know John Kerry's cell phone wasn't 'inadvertently' tapped during the '04 election season? Do you know for certain that it wasn't?

How do we know no real harm was done? Trust Bush's word that everything was on the up-and-up?

[solvs]

Give the girl a slap on the hand (and maybe a whack upside the head for good measure) and just call it a day.
Because we all know that always works. Ask any of McCarthy's victims if any harm was done. Or some civil rights leaders like MLK who were spied upon how they felt about it. How old are you? For some reason, I'm guessing pretty young if you can't even grasp the basic fundamentals of the Constitution and Bill Of Rights and why they exist. If you haven't taken a government class in school yet, I suggest you pay very close attention and ask a lot of questions when you do.