Ever wonder if the government is spying on us?
Look no farther than Dallas, Texas where the latest report by Intercept, says an old building in the East side of town that coincidentally is owned by the largest cellular service provider, AT&T, is reportedly being used to spy on Americans by the National Security Agency. Better known as one of the alphabet departments, the NSA.
One has to sit back and wonder, one, why would Intercept report this and where did they get their information? Two, go back even farther and ask why would the NSA spy on Americans?
Anyone remember the name Edward Snowden?
My hope would be that it would ring a bell in everyone’s heart...Mind... Body... And soul.
He spilled the beans to the world that the United States government was, IS?! spying on us. The American people. Snowden backed his story up with releasing so much data that proved what he was trying to warn the world about.
The intercept article has some very aggressive theories. One statement reads, “The NSA considers AT&T to be one of its most trusted partners and has lauded the company’s “extreme willingness to help.” It is a collaboration that dates back decades. Little known, however, is that its scope is not restricted to AT&T’s customers. According to the NSA’s documents, it values AT&T not only because it “has access to information that transits the nation,” but also because it maintains unique relationships with other phone and internet providers. The NSA exploits these relationships for surveillance purposes, commandeering AT&T’s massive infrastructure and using it as a platform to covertly tap into communications processed by other companies.”
The word partner, is a very specific term used for an agreed upon relationship.
Why would the world's largest telecommunication company, AT&T, and the most powerful country in the world (for now), the USA, be in an agreed upon relationship aside from the sheer fact of existing on the same Earth? IF they had an agreement to begin with.
Would there a “good” reason?
*Crickets over here
I truly cannot think of a single one.
I can however think of many bad, none of which I will waste the energy discussing. However, it brings a point I will choose to think further for myself and my family.
What have “they” done that we are so blind as to “let” these things happen and what can we do to protect ourselves?
IF, AT&T, really is in a partnership, then the NSA knows every.. Single.. Detail.. Of our lives.
AT&T, formerly Bell Telephone Company was established in 1879 by Alexander Graham Bell but the true start came in the form of his invention, the telephone, in 1875 according to the AT&T website.
Printed for everyone’s view, is the history of the company itself. It reads, “During the 19th century, AT&T became the parent company of the Bell System, the American telephone monopoly. The Bell System provided what was by all accounts the best telephone service in the world. The system broke up into eight companies in 1984 by agreement between AT&T and the U.S. Department of Justice. From 1984 until 1996 AT&T was an integrated telecommunications services and equipment company, succeeding in a newly competitive environment. Today, AT&T is a global networking leader, focused on delivering IP-based solutions to enterprise and government customers. Additionally, as AT&T pivots away from traditional consumer services, the company continues to offer consumers and small businesses a breakthrough alternative to traditional services – Voice over IP”
Voice over IP. A new term for myself.
The Federal Communication system, better known as the FCC explains voice IP. “VoIP services convert your voice into a digital signal that travels over the Internet. If you are calling a regular phone number, the signal is converted to a regular telephone signal before it reaches the destination. VoIP can allow you to make a call directly from a computer, a special VoIP phone, or a traditional phone connected to a special adapter. In addition, wireless "hot spots" in locations such as airports, parks, and cafes allow you to connect to the Internet and may enable you to use VoIP service wirelessly.”
This is a feature that is being invested heavily into along with 5G. This feature at some point, would allow all standard telephone equipment to be done away with to make room for the next generation beyond even that.
The FCC, by their own description,”regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. An independent U.S. government agency overseen by Congress, the Commission is the federal agency responsible for implementing and enforcing America’s communications law and regulations.”
The FCC recently made a decision to make and agreed upon an order dubbed, “Restoring Internet Freedom” and are involved with every aspect of regulation of the communication industry.
The FCC's website states the, “Restoring Internet Freedom Order, which took effect on June 11, provides a framework for protecting an open Internet while paving the way for better, faster and cheaper Internet access for consumers. It replaces unnecessary, heavy-handed regulations that were developed way back in 1934 with strong consumer protections, increased transparency, and common-sense rules that will promote investment and broadband deployment. The FCC's framework for protecting Internet freedom has three key parts. Consumer protection, Transparency and Removes Unnecessary Regulations to Promote Broadband Investment.”
So, the FCC, which is a government agency, regulates the internet (by saying its free while really putting forth legislation through congress to be passed due to “fill in the blanks.”), has an agreement with AT&T (and has for YEARS, while the technology was in its infancy, and who states they very clearly have enterprise and the government's best interest in mind all while they are “marketing” to us..
We THE People.
A merger that happened recently between AT&T and Time Warner, according to their website states “three key elements in media and entertainment that are required to transform how video is distributed, paid for, consumed and created.” Those three important points are, “Premium Content, Direct to consumer (D2C) Distribution and High-speed networks.”
Under D2C it is printed this will enable the company to, “AT&T's more than 170 million unique D2C connections across its wireless, video and broadband businesses provide valuable subscriber insights to better inform how we deliver advertising, what content we distribute and how we distribute that content…...The merger also enables AT&T to create a new option for advertisers to find and reach relevant audiences at scale in trusted, premium content environments….The merger will allow us to reinvent the way the media and entertainment industry works for consumers, content creators, distributors and advertisers.”
Also, did anyone see the words printed agreement between AT&T and the U.S. Department of Justice? Or focused on delivering IP-based solutions to enterprise and government customers.? What kind of customers are we? Do we fall in those two categories? And if so, how does the other relate?
According to smallbusiness.com, "Enterprise," "corporation" and "incorporated" are closely related terms used to describe the formal or informal structure of a business.
With AT&T structuring their words as they have, it seems to me they aren’t leaving it up for speculations as to whom their interest are with.
If AT&T is aligned with other businesses and the government, what does that mean for us.
The National Security Agency or the NSA, has a slogan. It states, “Defending Our Nation. Securing the Future.”
Whose future?
https://www.nsa.gov/
https://theintercept.com/2018/06/25/att-internet-nsa-spy-hubs/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Snowden
https://www.corp.att.com/history/
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/meanings-enterprise-corporation-incorporated-76688.html
https://www.fcc.gov/general/voice-over-internet-protocol-voip
https://www.fcc.gov/restoring-internet-freedom
https://www.edwardsnowden.com/
