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"AT&T reveals it has records of cellular customers calls and texts" These records should have been deleted at the latest at the point where they're no longer r

"AT&T reveals it has records of cellular customers calls and texts" These records should have been deleted at the latest at the point where they're no longer relevant for billing. (Which also means that for customers with unlimited calling/texting, there shouldn't be any records in the first place.)

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
gumby 2y ago
I believe this practice was followed only in postwar France, and I think even there has long been jettisoned. It's been a while since I got a French phone bill though.
xyst 2y ago
AT&T is well known for working with NSA — 33 Thomas St [1] [1] https://theintercept.com/2016/11/16/the-nsas-spy-hub-in-new-york-hidden-in-plain-sight/ https://theintercept.com/2016/11/16/the-nsas-spy-hub-in-new-...
- rockskon 2y ago
  That doesn't excuse this. If these records only existed so they could give them to the NSA at a later time, that further illustrates the dangers of accommodating the agency's desire for access to data generated from the U.S. Telecom backbone.
  - SoftTalker 2y ago
    If they are obligated to give the data to the NSA, they should give it to them in real time and then delete their own logs as soon as they no longer need them.
  - spencerflem 2y ago
    It does explain it though. By coincidence they also get billions of dollars in federal subsidies
    - rockskon 2y ago
      So do other ISPs. Yet AT&T is by far the worst of all of them with regards to customer privacy. Did you know that AT&T has a commercial product where they sell Metadata of websites visited (unclear if it's only Netflow or if it includes DNS lookups too) to law enforcement and private investigators? AT&T is a blight on the privacy of U.S. citizens.
      - hulitu 2y ago
        > Did you know that AT&T has a commercial product where they sell Metadata of websites visited (unclear if it's only Netflow or if it includes DNS lookups too) to law enforcement Do you think that only AT&T does it ? Welcome to democracy, my friend. /s
        rockskon 2y ago
        For their landline customers? I'm not aware of any other ISP that's so shamelessly brazen about the practice.
Cheer2171 2y ago
They keep all records for 7 years because the US Federal Government asked them to, not because they legally have to, but same with T-Mobile and Verizon: https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7vqkv/how-fbi-gets-phone-data-att-tmobile-verizon https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7vqkv/how-fbi-gets-phone-da...
- pixl97 2y ago
  Wasn't there some telco executive that was tossed in jail not long after 9/11 because he didn't want to play along with the government and keep data around forever?
  - Lammy 2y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Nacchio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Nacchio > Joseph P. Nacchio was the only head of a communications company to demand a court order, or approval under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, in order to turn over communications records to the NSA.[11]
clwg 2y ago
I wish that were the world we live in. This is from the Snowflake breach, meaning this database was an "AI Powered Unified Data Platform." It almost feels like the erosion of our privacy is fueling the growth of allot companies. I really hope that the boogeyman is real and all this was worth it.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

gumby 2y ago

I believe this practice was followed only in postwar France, and I think even there has long been jettisoned. It's been a while since I got a French phone bill though.

xyst 2y ago

AT&T is well known for working with NSA — 33 Thomas St [1] [1] https://theintercept.com/2016/11/16/the-nsas-spy-hub-in-new-york-hidden-in-plain-sight/ https://theintercept.com/2016/11/16/the-nsas-spy-hub-in-new-...

rockskon 2y ago
That doesn't excuse this. If these records only existed so they could give them to the NSA at a later time, that further illustrates the dangers of accommodating the agency's desire for access to data generated from the U.S. Telecom backbone.
- SoftTalker 2y ago
  If they are obligated to give the data to the NSA, they should give it to them in real time and then delete their own logs as soon as they no longer need them.
- spencerflem 2y ago
  It does explain it though. By coincidence they also get billions of dollars in federal subsidies
  - rockskon 2y ago
    So do other ISPs. Yet AT&T is by far the worst of all of them with regards to customer privacy. Did you know that AT&T has a commercial product where they sell Metadata of websites visited (unclear if it's only Netflow or if it includes DNS lookups too) to law enforcement and private investigators? AT&T is a blight on the privacy of U.S. citizens.
    - hulitu 2y ago
      > Did you know that AT&T has a commercial product where they sell Metadata of websites visited (unclear if it's only Netflow or if it includes DNS lookups too) to law enforcement Do you think that only AT&T does it ? Welcome to democracy, my friend. /s
      - rockskon 2y ago
        For their landline customers? I'm not aware of any other ISP that's so shamelessly brazen about the practice.

Cheer2171 2y ago

They keep all records for 7 years because the US Federal Government asked them to, not because they legally have to, but same with T-Mobile and Verizon: https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7vqkv/how-fbi-gets-phone-data-att-tmobile-verizon https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7vqkv/how-fbi-gets-phone-da...

pixl97 2y ago
Wasn't there some telco executive that was tossed in jail not long after 9/11 because he didn't want to play along with the government and keep data around forever?
- Lammy 2y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Nacchio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Nacchio > Joseph P. Nacchio was the only head of a communications company to demand a court order, or approval under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, in order to turn over communications records to the NSA.[11]

clwg 2y ago

I wish that were the world we live in. This is from the Snowflake breach, meaning this database was an "AI Powered Unified Data Platform." It almost feels like the erosion of our privacy is fueling the growth of allot companies. I really hope that the boogeyman is real and all this was worth it.