

Some Foreign Telcos Reportedly Defied NSA Phone Spying Order - mathattack
http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/14/some-foreign-telcos-reportedly-defied-nsa-phone-spying-order/

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glurgh
Great example why never to link to a techcrunch regurgitation of some story
originally reported elsewhere.

[http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB1000142412788732404950...](http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424127887324049504578543800240266368-lMyQjAxMTAzMDEwMzExNDMyWj.html)

The TC version fails basic reading comprehension. The US subsidiaries of the
Telcos in question did not _defy_ NSA/FISA court orders - according to WSJ's
reporting, their foreign ownership made it difficult for them to participate
due to existing legal restrictions external to the companies themselves. Key
WSJ paragraph:

 _Legal, practical and political obstacles are all possible reasons why the
two firms are excluded from the NSA program. But current and former U.S.
officials say the likely reasons are tied to their overseas ownership.
Government requests for data, through special court orders sanctioned by the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, are classified "top secret" and
"noforn," spy-talk for "no foreign." That would prohibit some T-Mobile and
Verizon owners from being aware of the programs._

~~~
enoch-root
I'm suddenly reminded of Apple Ireland, the largest owner of Apple's non-US
assets, and how Apple, last of the PRISM 9, was made to testify before
Congress for tax avoidance.

It's probably just a coincidence.

~~~
stackedmidgets
This is the real method by which Team Government encourages compliance. It'd
be a real shame to see that tax loophole that you rely on closed. Nice company
you got there. Would be real upsetting if your new corporate headquarters
construction were to be held up waiting for a permit.

Mobsters in worse suits.

------
contingencies
Maybe this is true, but T-Mobile USA does outsourced billing via AMDOCS so
100% of call metadata is leaked anyway.

~~~
gojomo
I don't see tower/location info on my (VZW) cell bill... so maybe not all call
metadata that the leaked Verizon Business warrant sucked up.

~~~
contingencies
Possibly. I wouldn't count on it.

