the "network you can trust" is a fraud

AT&T the “network you can trust,” as per their slogan, has employed a technology to ‘thwart terrorism’ that it once used to fight off fraud. In the 21st century of fear-driven politics, this should come as no surprise. Politicians shake in their boots over potential terrorist attacks and love to frighten American citizens into a state of passivity.

AT&T’s technology has proven useful for spying on American citizen

Freedom to Tinker : According to government documents studied by The New York Times, the FBI asked several phone companies to analyze phone-call patterns of Americans using a technology called “communities of interest”. Verizon refused, saying that it didn’t have any such technology. AT&T, famously, did not refuse.

What is the “communities of interest” technology? It’s spelled out very clearly in a 2001 research paper from AT&T itself, entitled “Communities of Interest” (by C. Cortes, D. Pregibon, and C. Volinsky). They use high-tech data-mining algorithms to scan through the huge daily logs of every call made on the AT&T network; then they use sophisticated algorithms to analyze the connections between phone numbers: who is talking to whom? The paper literally uses the term “Guilt by Association” to describe what they’re looking for: what phone numbers are in contact with other numbers that are in contact with the bad guys?

This story hits close to home, because recently, I was called paranoid and delusional for thinking that the government would bother to spy on Americans. (especially, insignificant Fred!) I’d love to agree with the sentiment so I could feel more at ease with the state of American politics. Sadly, life is rarely that simple; and I am left to wonder if the echoes and clicking sounds that come from my AT&T telephone are occurring because the service sucks or because I’ve managed to be among the lucky Americans to win the ‘potential terrorist’ lottery.

Typical cell phone interference happens… we’ve all experienced it. Yet, now we know that it could be the result of some schmuck listening in and recording my latest call to my 51 year old mother. The excuse for such an invasion of privacy? Protecting national security, of course! When I consider that there is a chance I’m on “a list”, it enrages me beyond belief. I’ve never so much as received a speeding ticket, much less plot to commit an act of terror.

Hard right wingers and some law enforcement types would say, “it is better to err on the side of caution, don’t ya think?” I’d disagree, lets err on the side of liberty and freedom from government interference in citizens’ daily lives instead of bend to the will of fear and fascism. If you want to live in fear of terrorists go right ahead, but don’t take me along for the a ride into an America that promotes pseudo fascist ideals. The tighter our wing nuts squeeze her neck, the more pain she’ll inflict on us all when their patriotic glass shatters from this grip of fear.

Fred is an Attorney, Entrepreneur, and Blogger from the Silicon Valley.
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