FCC won't probe disclosure of phone records

The FCC won't investigate whether phone companies gave customer records to the NSA, saying intelligence officials deemed a probe to be a national security risk.

The story "FCC won't probe disclosure of phone records" published October 6, 2007 at 4:00 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

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[The_Decider]

The beginning of the end?

After all this is an administration that cloaks nearly everything in secrecy and calls it national security.

[Phillep_H]

Oh, my, yes

I'm saving all these little jewels of yours, and others like you, to play back when Hillary is in office.

[m.meister]

stooges

It comes no surprise as FCC is nothing more than a bunch of <br />stooges. They've already shown that the very last thing they are <br />concerned with is the public's interest.<br /><br />The new bogeyman is "national security". Those to words will allow <br />the cockroaches to roam freely in the darkness of secrecy.

[xxdesmusxx]

illegal? hmm...

Gee, you think something illegal went on here? The FCC is just bending over to take one from the Bush administration, like normal.<br /><br />I'll love to see all of these secretive information become public records in 50 years. Then, and likely only then, we'll get a good idea just how much of an illegal war criminal this asshat truly is. <br /><br />Hopefully Bush lives a very long life, I'd love to see the day that they knock on his door. I'd love to see the look on his face when they drag his ignorant ass off to be tried as a war criminal.

[keirgrey]

Never happen

Even though what they are doing is illegal, you will never see a day when GW Bush is dragged into court and tried.

[Eskiegirl302]

Go Figure

The Government has it nose in our business too far. The way we are going to stop all this b.s. is for the American People to get rid of bad government. George W. Bush called the constitution nothing but a god damned piece of paper. Those were his exact words. The constitution is a piece of paper all right. It is the piece of paper which pertains to the law of the land. Scare tactics are over with. The only thing we need fear is our unconstitutional government, which by the way they took an oath to defend and uphold. If we keep letting government expand, we are going to have problems of which people have never seen the likes of. There is a site on the web which can teach you about our constitution and just what it means. George W. Bush should have been impeached a very long time ago. We all know it. We all know too that congress did nothing when it came to the wiretap issue. Bad Government? you betcha. If you google Michael Badnarik and find the site where he teaches about sovereignty and the constitution you can learn a lot about how Government is trying now to control Americans. Like your Freedom? Want to Keep it? Don't forget to look at candidates coming up for election as the president. No signing statements this time please. Go by the law like your supposed to. The best candidate I have found by far and the only one who speaks of our constitution and not being part of the New World Order is Ron Paul. They are actually trying to shut him out. Americans are smarter than that though. We know about Ron Paul and we want him ! Don't give up anything for men in suits who would like nothing better than to control your lives. TAKE YOUR COUNTRY BACK !

[Phillep_H]

LOL

How is "a damned piece of paper" different from "a living document"? <br /><br />Who did YOU support in the primaries?

[bonsaitree]

meh, permission not needed

This is purely a political ploy. The Congress doesn't NEED the FCC's permission to launch an investigation into the illegal NSA wiretapping.<br /><br />This request was merely a formality so that the expected denial will buttress political support for the funding of an independent Congressional investigation.<br /><br />Between this and the EFF's current salvo of lawsuits, it's only a matter of time.

[inachu]

what about that article with picture?

It was removed from news.com I think.<br /><br />It showed a server room which hastily was used to gather data via a fiber optic hookup.<br /><br />I made my own fiber splicer to see if I could intercept my own data and yeah its hard but not that hard.

[Xenu7-214951314497503184010868]

Spying on Dissenters

Yes, it would be a security risk to reveal those records. Not for the nation, but for the regime in power in the White House. What would the electorate do if they found out that it's not only terrorists that are under surveillance?

[Stating]

We Already Know This

Even the NYPD spies on dissenters and infiltrates their groups. Local cops protect drug trafficers by ignoring "known crack houses". The country is more corrupt, at all levels, than anyone wants to admit. It would be bad for the economy if we acknowledged the truth. Better to live in our own fantasy world of blueberry pie and lemonaide on the front porch. We bake the pie in an American made oven, eat it off American made china, and top it off with heart-healthy hydrogenated Cool Whip.

[Stating]

And Hillary Would Be Better

The ultimate assault to the Constitution would be for Hillary to be elected as Prez. These people are just pure evil. I really pray that we get someone fresh in that office. Obama, Ron Paul, even Kucinich. The country can't stand another 4 years of lie and spin.

[Phillep_H]

Stench

Obama is every bit as bad; he just has not had much chance to prove it. <br /><br />Kooky-nic? He is worse than even Hillary, though not as murderous. <br /><br />Ron Paul seems the only halfway decent candidate, and I think he is a nutcase. Well I voted for Bill Clinton the first time through, thinking he was a lazy, do-nothing President. (I forgot to wonder how someone that lazy ended up where he did, like, perhaps, maybe he was supported by people with ambitions?) Maybe a nutcase would make a better Pres than the other possibilities. <br /><br />(Excuse me while I go vomit.)

[K.P.C.]

And the next time 3,000 people die in 1 day . . .

. . . All of you will be saying:<br />"How could this happen?"<br />"Where was the security?"<br />"Why didn't we see this coming?"<br />"What do you mean this guy was talking to a known terrorist and <br />we did no follow up?"<br />"Why couldn't the FBI 'legally' access this guys computer even <br />though he was under arrest?"<br />"Why can't the authorites use the same laws in place to fight <br />organized crime be applied to known terrorists?"<br /><br /><br />Waaa waaaa waaaa . . . you guys are pathetic.<br />Just pray it's not you or someone you love that dies in the next <br />attack.

[Fremia]

wake-up

I do not sense any sarcasm in this post so I will provide this link for you to do a little research.<br /><br />www.copvcia.com<br /><br />Remeber, even the families of that event are questioning the involvement of the government.

[vhac]

Puppet

Your comment would be the typical puppet comment, listen and spew, not listen and think.<br />"Why couldn't the FBI 'legally' access this guys computer even though he was under arrest?"<br />What does it have to do with WARRANTLESS SURVEILLANCE? Is that legal? <br />Why didn't we see this coming? Ask the Bush administration why they were brief of potential attack about a month before and didn't do a darn thing. right, because there were no specific time, date and location.

[afoaf]

Benedict Arnold

You're what's wrong with this country.<br /><br />You take your fascism with cream and sugar?<br /><br />It's your jingoism that got those 3,000 people <br />killed not a citizen's desire for unadulterated<br />constitutional rights.

[mattumanu]

Died in vain...

Those 3000 people died in vain if the result is the loss of basic freedom. If the FBI wants to come and talk to me about possible terrorist activities, they are welcome to do so. But the minute they begin eavsdropping on me without my knowledge they have crossed the line, broken public trust, and very likely broken the law.<br /><br />So if those 3000 people died so that we will all lose basic liberties... they died in vain. <br />And by the way, I wasn't asking any of those questions on 9-11, nor afterwards. I was asking, "how can people justify doing this?"<br /><br />More than 3000 people died last year in automobile accidents... what's the government up to fix that problem? Hear anything about that lately? Just pray it's not you or someone you love that dies in the next car crash.

[zanzzz]

Just Another Day At The Data Mine

The real disgrace here is the response by J.M. McConnell, the Director of National Intelligence. For him to characterize an investigation into illegal Telco cooperation with the NSA as posing "exceptionally grave damage to the national security" is an outrage. He should be investigated by Congress for obstruction of justice charges. Anyone who has a casual interest in news must realize at this point that communications are being data mined by our government. So will any potential adversary. The only damage an investigation could cause is of a political nature that is long overdue.<br />What the Bush Administration and various spook agencies wish to avoid is a political debate to determine if data mining constitutes "search" and is therefore unconstitutional.

[partytildawn-20159620461052270]

This is why Congress Controls the Purse

The last few years have really reflected poorly on Congress both when the Republicans controlled it and now that the Democrats control it. Congress controls the purse strings of all these rogue executive branch agencies. If Congress wants an investigation, then Congress can withhold funding from various departments of the FCC in the budget until said hearings are held. Congress itself can even call said hearing, yet we're lacking Congressmen on both sides of the aisle with backbones.