Paul Kapustka's Blog
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June 21, 2006
Senate vote should be a test on trusting AT&T
We're all set for another Senate Smackdown during tomorrow's Commerce Committee telecom-bill markup session, but what should be -- but probably won't be -- on the docket is a debate about whether or not the U.S. can really trust AT&T. Given the recent news about more NSA snooping and the company's new all-your-data-are-belong-to-us policy, we really need to ask: And we're going to trust this firm to keep promises?
Of the two new stories, the NSA one is something that we all probably expected: if true, it can be written off as part of the quid-pro-quo relationship between the big telcos and the Bush administration. It's not hard to see: Telcos make big campaign contributions, FCC and Congress deregulate the industry to allow the telcos to run rampant, and in return the telcos also let the gubmint sniff whatever they want off the wires.
Your world, delivered, indeed.
The new data policy, sussed out by SF Chron columnist David Lazarus (who seems to have a knack for parsing fine print) is more troubling, because it's the kind of thing that (if approved) gives ordinary users no recourse. "Well, sure we gave your web-surfing info to the government... you DID sign the end-user agreement, after all."
(Just an aside: Can you imagine if AT&T sold other products, like milk? There would be a legal form running down the side of the carton, telling you that AT&T Dairies was not liable for the spoiling or spilling of milk, etc. etc., and then when you went to the checkout the register would add an extra $3 for "government milk regulation fees," even though in the legal form it would be explained that there aren't really any required fees and the charge may not match the exact fee paid to the goverment. How quickly would you switch to another provider? But what if AT&T milk and Verizon moo-juice were the only things on the shelf?)
(Now I may have to smack myself down as the winner, most obscure metaphor award. Smackdown score: 2.15. Thank you.)
But really -- such data policies seem to make a farce of the Fourth Freedom, something I will expound on more fully sometime soon. I promise.
Posted by paul at June 21, 2006 12:41 PM