Bush Rushes in to Defend Illegal Telco Spying

Once again, the telcos are proving that they can’t be trusted. They’ve censored free speech, attacked the open Internet and allowed spying on their networks. Both Verizon and AT&T have been caught handing over customer phone records to the National Security Agency (NSA). The phone companies first denied it and then started a quiet campaign with the White House to gain immunity from any lawsuits.

The campaign got a lot louder today, after President Bush told reporters that he would veto a new FISA eavesdropping bill that doesn’t grant retroactive immunity to the phone companies. About 40 pending lawsuits name several telecommunications companies for alleged violations of wiretapping laws.

Despite the intense pressure from telco lobbyists and the Bush administration, Americans have told Congress they’re fed up with the abuse. Today, our representatives showed that they are listening. The House Judiciary Committee voted 20-14 to reject an amendment to grant telcos immunity. Democrats will bring the bills to the full House for passage next week. The Senate Intelligence Committee will be introducing its own bill. Hopefully, the House move against immunity will serve as a guide.

Telecommunication companies are one of the biggest political donors in the United States. They have also worked hand-in-hand with the Bush administration to whittle away our constitutional freedoms, all the while seeking special policy favors and a rubber stamp for their mega-billion-dollar mergers. Today’s committee vote might be a sign that their political clout has its limits.

The ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are urging members to tell Congress to fight against any type of immunity for telcos. Privacy and free speech are two of democracy’s most fundamental principles. Congress should reject immunity for AT&T and Verizon and hold all telephone companies accountable for their actions.

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