EFF: Senators Must Reject Blanket Immunity for Telecoms' Role in Illegal Spying

Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release

For Immediate Release: Thursday, November 15, 2007

Contact:

Cindy Cohn
   Legal Director
   Electronic Frontier Foundation
   cindy@eff.org
   +1 415 436-9333 x108 (office), +1 415 307-2148 (cell)

Kurt Opsahl
   Senior Staff Attorney
   Electronic Frontier Foundation
   kurt@eff.org
   +1 415 436-9333 x106

Kevin Bankston
   Staff Attorney
   Electronic Frontier Foundation
   bankston@eff.org
   +1 415 436-9333 x126

Senators Must Reject Blanket Immunity for Telecoms' Role in
Illegal Spying

Judiciary Committee to Mark Up Critical Bill Thursday

Washington, D.C. - Members of the Senate Judiciary
Committee meet Thursday to discuss letting telecoms off the
hook for their role in illegal spying on millions of
ordinary Americans -- a blatant attempt to block lawsuits
that would determine if the surveillance is legal.

The "FISA Amendments Act" includes blanket immunity for
telecommunications companies who took part in a massive
warrantless domestic surveillance program to wiretap
Americans' communications.  However, committee member Sen.
Russ Feingold says he will offer an amendment that would
remove this blanket immunity from the bill.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) urges lawmakers
to support Sen. Feingold in holding the telecoms accountable
for their involvement in the illegal spying.

"Granting immunity to the telecoms would make Congress
complicit in the cover-up of illegal, wholesale warrantless
spying," said EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn.  "These
amnesty proposals are aimed at blocking the courthouse door
to millions of folks whose rights were violated by
corporations that ignored both the law and their duty to
keep everyday communications private and safe.  We are
pleased that Senator Feingold is taking a stand, and we
hope that other committee members join him."

EFF represents the plaintiffs in Hepting v. AT&T, a
class-action lawsuit that accuses the telecom giant of
violating the law and the privacy of its customers by
collaborating with the National Security Agency (NSA) in
the dragnet government spying.  EFF's case includes
undisputed evidence that AT&T installed fiberoptic
splitters at its facility at 611 Folsom Street in San
Francisco that made copies of all emails, web browsing and
other Internet traffic to and from AT&T customers on AT&T's
key giant fiberoptic lines --including purely domestic
communications -- and provided those copies to the NSA.

The House of Representatives may also consider an
electronic surveillance bill Thursday.  However, the House
version of the bill does not grant immunity for telecoms,
and would allow the legal cases to proceed.

For more on Hepting v. AT&T and telecom immunity:
http://www.eff.org/nsa

For this release:
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2007/11/14

About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil
liberties organization working to protect rights in the
digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and
challenges industry and government to support free
expression and privacy online. EFF is a member-supported
organization and maintains one of the most linked-to
websites in the world at http://www.eff.org/


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