10 ms·

Senator calls for the public release of AT&T 'Hemisphere' surveillance records

150 points by barbacoa 3y ago

blakesterz 3y ago
From Wyden's letter: "The Houston HIDTA officials told my staff that all Hemisphere requests are sent to a single AT&T analyst located in Atlanta, Georgia, and that any law enforcement officer working for one of the federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. can contact the AT&T Hemisphere analyst directly to request they run a query, with varying authorization requirements. The Houston HIDTA officials confirmed that Federal and state law enforcement agencies can request a Hemisphere search with a subpoena, which is a directive that many law enforcement agencies can issue themselves (except in California and Texas, where a court order is required by state law). They also explained that Hemisphere searches are not required to be in support of drug-related investigations." https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/wyden_hemisphere_surveillance_letter_112023.pdf https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/wyden_hemisphere_...
- ajcp 3y ago
  > requests are sent to a single AT&T analyst located in Atlanta, Georgia Just one poor sap with an ODBC to a DB2 database and a panache for Excel stands between law enforcement and state mass surveillance...
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- bilbo0s 3y ago
  They also explained that Hemisphere searches are not required to be in support of drug-related investigations. Why would they be? If I had such a system, why would I waist it chasing pot dealers? To complain about the system on that basis not only makes no sense at all, but totally misses the point of being against mass surveillance. It makes me wonder if these people are actually against mass surveillance at all?
notjoemama 3y ago
What’s the term (may be colloquial) when law enforcement obtains information illegally but figure out how to fake or back fill the reason they know it so it becomes plausible in court they obtained the information legally? It would be a more certain bet that they’ve done this with the AT&T surveillance than putting money in any cryptocurrency.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- sjsdaiuasgdia 3y ago
  The term you're likely looking for is 'parallel construction'.
- morserer 3y ago
  That would be Parallel Construction, or Evidence Laundering. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_construction https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_construction
  - notjoemama 3y ago
    Ah! Thank you! Internet high five!
  - r00fus 3y ago
    Evidence Laundering is a more fitting term. I'll use that going forward.
  - zzzcsgo 3y ago
    [dead]
- dantheman 3y ago
  The term you're looking for is parallel construction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_construction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_construction
- paunchy 3y ago
lehi 3y ago
It's always the same senator. It should be very concerning that you have only one person in Congress who has fought against mass surveillance over the years.
- progne 3y ago
  See also Senator Paul going after the PATRIOT act in particular. https://www.paul.senate.gov/issues/protecting-privacy-civil-liberties/ https://www.paul.senate.gov/issues/protecting-privacy-civil-...
  - kurthr 3y ago
    Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. (not referring to Wyden) Really, the best reason (from the security org point of view) not to collect so much surveillance on your home population, is because it creates a single point of failure for foreign adversaries to gain access. Most of the interesting data is already commercially available for advertising.
    - tharmas 3y ago
      Excellent and very WISE observation. Why, oh why, do people in charge never consider the Law of Unintended Consequences?
      - smegger001 3y ago
        Because to keep their jobs they have to be seen as doing something and the old 'this is something therefore it must be done.' truism still hold. They never look farther ahead than the next election, were lucky if the look farther than the next nights news most of the time
        sonicanatidae 3y ago
        The people who make these laws are not affected, and the people who execute these actions are not the people that make these laws.
alwaysrunning 3y ago
What's are the names of Verizon, Dish, US Cellular and T-Mobile's equivalent projects?
adolph 3y ago
For folks interested in this topic, Stewart Hicks just released "The Windowless Skyscraper Conspiracy:" Join me, an architecture professor from Chicago, as we uncover the secrets behind windowless skyscrapers. These structures, often overlooked and misunderstood, play a mysterious role in our urban landscape. In this video we explore the hidden purposes and intriguing stories of these architectural anomalies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GY77EZzjyo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GY77EZzjyo
fweimer 3y ago
AT&T use to publish bits about the data management technology for their call data records, called Daytona: https://web.archive.org/web/20140610135457/http://www.research.att.com/~daytona/ https://web.archive.org/web/20140610135457/http://www.resear...

150 points by barbacoa 3y ago

From Wyden's letter: "The Houston HIDTA officials told my staff that all Hemisphere requests are sent to a single AT&T analyst located in Atlanta, Georgia, and that any law enforcement officer working for one of the federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. can contact the AT&T Hemisphere analyst directly to request they run a query, with varying authorization requirements. The Houston HIDTA officials confirmed that Federal and state law enforcement agencies can request a Hemisphere search with a subpoena, which is a directive that many law enforcement agencies can issue themselves (except in California and Texas, where a court order is required by state law). They also explained that Hemisphere searches are not required to be in support of drug-related investigations." https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/wyden_hemisphere_surveillance_letter_112023.pdf https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/wyden_hemisphere_...

ajcp 3y ago
> requests are sent to a single AT&T analyst located in Atlanta, Georgia Just one poor sap with an ODBC to a DB2 database and a panache for Excel stands between law enforcement and state mass surveillance...
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
bilbo0s 3y ago
They also explained that Hemisphere searches are not required to be in support of drug-related investigations. Why would they be? If I had such a system, why would I waist it chasing pot dealers? To complain about the system on that basis not only makes no sense at all, but totally misses the point of being against mass surveillance. It makes me wonder if these people are actually against mass surveillance at all?

notjoemama 3y ago

What’s the term (may be colloquial) when law enforcement obtains information illegally but figure out how to fake or back fill the reason they know it so it becomes plausible in court they obtained the information legally? It would be a more certain bet that they’ve done this with the AT&T surveillance than putting money in any cryptocurrency.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
sjsdaiuasgdia 3y ago
The term you're likely looking for is 'parallel construction'.
morserer 3y ago
That would be Parallel Construction, or Evidence Laundering. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_construction https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_construction
- notjoemama 3y ago
  Ah! Thank you! Internet high five!
- r00fus 3y ago
  Evidence Laundering is a more fitting term. I'll use that going forward.
- zzzcsgo 3y ago
  [dead]
dantheman 3y ago
The term you're looking for is parallel construction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_construction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_construction
paunchy 3y ago

lehi 3y ago

It's always the same senator. It should be very concerning that you have only one person in Congress who has fought against mass surveillance over the years.

progne 3y ago
See also Senator Paul going after the PATRIOT act in particular. https://www.paul.senate.gov/issues/protecting-privacy-civil-liberties/ https://www.paul.senate.gov/issues/protecting-privacy-civil-...
- kurthr 3y ago
  Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. (not referring to Wyden) Really, the best reason (from the security org point of view) not to collect so much surveillance on your home population, is because it creates a single point of failure for foreign adversaries to gain access. Most of the interesting data is already commercially available for advertising.
  - tharmas 3y ago
    Excellent and very WISE observation. Why, oh why, do people in charge never consider the Law of Unintended Consequences?
    - smegger001 3y ago
      Because to keep their jobs they have to be seen as doing something and the old 'this is something therefore it must be done.' truism still hold. They never look farther ahead than the next election, were lucky if the look farther than the next nights news most of the time
      - sonicanatidae 3y ago
        The people who make these laws are not affected, and the people who execute these actions are not the people that make these laws.

alwaysrunning 3y ago

What's are the names of Verizon, Dish, US Cellular and T-Mobile's equivalent projects?

adolph 3y ago

For folks interested in this topic, Stewart Hicks just released "The Windowless Skyscraper Conspiracy:" Join me, an architecture professor from Chicago, as we uncover the secrets behind windowless skyscrapers. These structures, often overlooked and misunderstood, play a mysterious role in our urban landscape. In this video we explore the hidden purposes and intriguing stories of these architectural anomalies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GY77EZzjyo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GY77EZzjyo

fweimer 3y ago

AT&T use to publish bits about the data management technology for their call data records, called Daytona: https://web.archive.org/web/20140610135457/http://www.research.att.com/~daytona/ https://web.archive.org/web/20140610135457/http://www.resear...