Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News

      McCain Hangs Up on Telco Immunity

      By
      Roy Mark
      -
      May 23, 2008
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        No matter who wins the presidency this fall, telecoms like AT&T and Verizon should expect no White House immunity for the warrantless wiretapping of Americans’ phone calls and e-mail. President Bush, by contrast, has promised to veto any legislation that does not give amnesty for the telcos’ cooperation in the administration’s domestic spying program.

        While Democratic opposition to Bush’s amnesty ideas is well known (Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton voted against the measure in a February Senate vote), Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee who ducked the February vote, now appears to be on-board with the anti-amnesty crowd.

        At a May 21 appearance at the 18th Annual Computers, Freedom and Privacy conference at Yale University, the McCain campaign’s top legal advisor said a McCain presidency would demand Congressional “hearings to find out what actually happened and what harms actually occurred.”

        Chuck Fish, a former Time Warner executive who recently resigned to join the McCain campaign, added that McCain would expect, in addition to hearings to find out exactly just what the telecoms did, contrition from the telecoms.

        “First, we need to be explicit we are not talking about granting indulgences,” Fish said. As Wired’s Ryan Singel reported, Fish’s indulgencies statement meant, “forgiveness must be matched with repentance.”

        The telcos contend they relied on existing federal, state and local laws and assurances from the highest level of government when providing access to consumers’ personal telephone calls and e-mail without a subpoena. The carriers’ cooperation with the government prompted more than 40 civil lawsuits claiming that the carriers violated the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens.

        The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), the co-lead counsel in many of the civil cases, maintains that the carriers broke the law by providing the NSA (National Security Agency) with the full content of billions of e-mails, text messages and VOIP (voice over IP) calls. The EFF claims the issue of the telcos’ liability should be a matter for the courts to decide.

        “EFF wishes more Republicans would recognize, as their presidential nominee does, that immunity should not even be considered until Congress has made an extensive investigation into the particulars of the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program,” the EFF said in a May 21 statement.

        The digital civil liberties group added, “Immunity certainly shouldn’t be granted if the phone companies refuse to admit to and apologize for their role in the NSA spying.”

        Roy Mark

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Android

        Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

        Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
        Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
        Read more
        Cloud

        Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

        Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
        Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
        Read more
        Cybersecurity

        How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

        eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
        Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
        Read more
        Big Data and Analytics

        How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

        Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
        There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
        Read more
        Apple

        Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

        Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
        If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
        Read more

        eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Advertisers

        Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

        Advertise with Us

        Menu

        • About eWeek
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Latest News

        Our Brands

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms
        • About
        • Contact
        • Advertise
        • Sitemap
        • California – Do Not Sell My Information

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

        ×