The law also gave the WH greater power to force telecommunications companies to coopera

Reading the fine print:


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/washington/06nsa.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1186374327-S/RC7wd3S9PwUp2rHm0ZJQ


The law also gave the administration greater power to force telecommunications companies to cooperate with such spying operations. The companies can now be compelled to cooperate by orders from the attorney general and the director of national intelligence.

Democratic Congressional aides said Sunday that some telecommunications company officials had told Congressional leaders that they were unhappy with that provision in the bill and might challenge the new law in court. The aides said the telecommunications companies had told lawmakers that they would rather have a court-approved warrant ordering them to comply.

In fact, pressure from the telecommunications companies on the Bush administration has apparently played a major hidden role in the political battle over the surveillance issue over the past few months.

Now if we could only get good lobbyist'sst'sss.

"...For example, if a person in Indianapolis calls someone in London, the National Security Agency can eavesdrop on that conversation without a warrant, as long as the N.S.A.’s target is the person in London."

I don't suppose it would matter if London objected.

:grr:

They'll beg for the honor.

Comcast and a few others refuse to play ball without a Subpoena. AT&T and some others, on the other hand, have been caught playing to the NSA without being legally required to do so.

This new legislation is the gift that keeps on giving :sarcasm:

for the non-techies: Voice over Internet Protocol= long distance calls using internet connections rather than standard phone lines (so could be over DSL, cable modem, etc.)

Calls are not written, like e-mails... so only the IP addresses would be available... or am I wrong?

Just something I thought of, since I was looking into VoIP for long-distance calls.

I guess there's a reason they went for a "reasonable belief" standard re: the target being on foreign soil.