DOJ Helped AT&T, Others Avoid Wiretap Act, Promised Not To Charge Them If They Helped Spy On People

from the uh.... dept

Want to know one reason why the feds are so interested in giving blanket immunity to anyone who helps them spy on people? Perhaps because they're already telling companies that they have immunity if they help them spy on people. Specifically, they've issued special letters of immunity, more or less helping companies like AT&T ignore the Wiretap Act.

Senior Obama administration officials have secretly authorized the interception of communications carried on portions of networks operated by AT&T and other Internet service providers, a practice that might otherwise be illegal under federal wiretapping laws.