Telecom companies shouldn’t get amnesty in legislation the Senate...

AT&T engineer and whistleblower Mark Klein, describing work he did for AT&T in California on the project. Klein said he learned in 2003 that domestic and international Internet traffic -- including on e-mails, documents, phone conversations and Web browsing -- was being “hard wired” to the National Security Agency. Based on documents he studied, Klein said he believes the activities are continuing, with data gathering operations in 15 to 20 cities. Klein, who worked for AT&T for 22 years, said he retired after being offered a buyout package. He said he came forward with the information on the surveillance activities because he believes it is illegal, and he’s helping the Electronic Frontier Foundation in a lawsuit against AT&T. He and other privacy advocates said it’s critical that lawsuits exploring telecommunication carriers’ role in the surveillance program not be preempted by Congress. “Lawsuits may be the only way to stop companies from spying,” said Cindy Cohn, legal director, Electronic Frontier Foundation. “These telecom companies committed crimes.” Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said last week (CD Nov 1 p5) he didn’t support provisions offering immunity for phone companies offered in a Senate Intelligence Committee bill (S-2248) that Judiciary is slated to mark up. Committee aides said only the first title of the bill, dealing with foreign surveillance rules, would be taken up Thursday. The immunity provisions were put off till next week.