Bush insists: "privacy of ordinary Americans is fiercely protected"
- From: "peace dream" <peace.dream1234@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 14 May 2006 00:27:03 +0300
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nationworld/story/5732947p-5131182c.html
Bush says privacy maintained in spying
BRYAN BENDER; The Boston Globe
Published: May 12th, 2006 01:00 AM
WASHINGTON - President Bush defended the Pentagon's domestic spying Thursday
after a report that the National Security Agency, searching for evidence of
terrorist communications, has obtained records of telephone calls placed by
millions of Americans since Sept. 11, 2001 - a massive database created with
the cooperation of three of four major telephone companies.
At the White House, Bush neither confirmed nor denied the existence of such
a database, reported in a front-page story Thursday in USA Today, and
criticized the leaking of sensitive information to the press.
But the president acknowledged he approved "intelligence activities," while
insisting that "the privacy of ordinary Americans is fiercely protected in
all our activities."
"We're not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of
Americans," the president said. Any domestic surveillance, he added, is
"focused on links to al-Qaida and their known affiliates. The intelligence
activities I authorized are lawful and have been briefed to appropriate
members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat."
According to USA Today's report, the NSA approached AT&T Corp., Verizon
Communications, BellSouth Corp., and Qwest Communications, asking for help
compiling information on phone calls the agency would analyze to search for
suspected terrorists. Though the Defense Department agency didn't have court
permission, according to the story, three of the four companies agreed to
turn over records of all phone calls from Sept. 11, 2001, onward. Qwest, the
lone holdout, worried about legal liability and refused to cooperate,
according to the USA Today report.
On Capitol Hill, the news stunned lawmakers. Some questioned whether the NSA
database program violates the Constitution.
Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, an influential Republican, vowed to
get answers. Specter, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he
planned to call executives from Verizon Communications, BellSouth Corp. and
AT&T Corp. before his panel "to find out exactly what is going on."
Others contrasted the new disclosures with the Bush administration's
previous claims that domestic surveillance has been narrowly targeted and
restricted to international communications.
"Both the attorney general and the president have lied to the American
people about the scope and nature of the NSA's program," said Anthony
Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. "It's
clearly not focused on international calls and clearly not just focused on
terrorists. . It's like adding more hay on the haystack to find that one
needle."
The news, meanwhile, means more turbulence for Air Force Gen. Michael
Hayden, Bush's nominee to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. Hayden, who
ran the NSA from 1999 until last year, was at the helm when the phone
database program began - and helped create the NSA warrantless eavesdropping
program. Hayden will appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee for a
confirmation hearing next week.
Without specifically addressing the database, Hayden told reporters that the
NSA regularly briefs Congress on its operations, follows the law and
protects Americans' privacy.
In statements released Thursday, the three phone companies declined to
confirm the arrangement outlined in USA Today, but said they were operating
within the law.
Officials at Qwest could not be reached for comment.
The news report contends that the NSA has been keeping track of most
telephone records, including numbers and times and locations of most calls
made in the United States since Sept. 11, but doesn't listen in on the
conversations. Using supercomputers, the agency sifts through the billions
of calls, searching for patterns: If a suspected terrorist associated with a
certain phone number makes repeated calls to another phone, for example, or
if someone frequently makes or receives calls to a country associated with
terrorism, according to the story.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee said he has been "fully
briefed" on the matter, believes the program is legal and isn't concerned
about the possibility of Senate hearings.
Legality unclear
Lawyers who specialize in national security and communications said it is
difficult to assess the legality of the program because some of its features
remain unknown. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, enacted in 1978,
requires a court order before government can eavesdrop on the content of
domestic calls or keep live track of the phone numbers dialed by a U.S.
telephone.
But it does not cover wholesale acquisition of call records after the fact.
Privacy laws restrict distribution of customer records to third parties,
including the government, but there are exceptions.
According to USA Today, the telephone companies are removing the names and
addresses of their customers from the records they give the NSA. But the
government has many means of identifying account owners.
The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post contributed to this report.
.
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