Breaking... Gov't Says Obtaining People's Phone Records Illegal...

[DeSwiss]

Ah. So the Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a House subcommittee have decided that obtaining people's private phone records is illegal. How quaint.

Tension at the Top
New Probes Zero In On HP Leak as Board Debates Dunn's Fate

By Yuki Noguchi
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 12, 2006; Page D01

The Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a House subcommittee have started their own probes into how Hewlett-Packard Co. investigators obtained private phone records in an attempt to identify a source of company leaks to the media, according to the company and regulatory filings released yesterday.

<snip>

A spokesman for the FBI said the agency also was looking into the methods of HP's investigation. The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations has asked HP to submit information as part of the committee's broader look at breaches of private information. Last week, the California state attorney general's office launched its own investigation, and the Federal Communications Commission requested information from AT&T Corp. about the disclosure of the phone records.

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/11/AR2006091100334.html">WashPo: "Tension at the Top"

I see the Repukes are working on their "talking points" for the campaign trail. If they really want to be a hit, maybe they should investigate the NSA and the White House then...

[driver8]

1. Hmmm...they must have found that spare copy of the

Constitution.

The one junior didn't use to wipe his ass...

[Psephos]

2. Misleading headline. What's being investigated is "pretexting."

Pretexting is obtaining someone's phone records by pretending to be that person, calling up the provider, and asking for a copy. In other words, committing fraud to complete a theft of personal information.

To be specific, what's been confirmed illegal is fraudulent "social engineering" to obtain phone records.

Here's a gloss on social engineering.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_engineering_%28security%29

We should be precise about this. What was done with NSA taps is a different matter, and we hand our opponents ammunition when we try to apply the same arguments to both issues.

Peace.

[Kagemusha]

3. Yeah, Congress is right to crack down on pretexting...

The problem came to Congress' attention for a reason: it sucks, it's bad stuff, it makes a mockery of privacy guarantees. Even the ones the government doesn't overturn itself with the NSA. I won't mourn if an example is made out of the jerks responsible for this incident.

[DeSwiss]

4. Psephos, about my headline, write it off to poetic license...

Naw, they haven't cornered the market on hyperbole yet. Just seems strange to me how all those Repuke politicians got religion on obtaining phone records illegally when they've been rubber-stamping the WH doing it since before 911. Mmmm...

[Psephos]

5. Sorry, DeSwiss, space made me shorten my own headline...

...and it ended up sounding like it was directed at you.

Please continue with your poetics; my comments were directed to MSM. :-)

BTW, you're right on the money about the sudden "religious conversion" of the repugs. It would make me laugh if it didn't make me cry.

Peace.

[DeSwiss]

6. "It would make me laugh if it didn't make me cry"

Ain't that the truth....

[intaglio]

7. Pretexting, does that include B*sh?

Because if the election was stolen he is acting on the pretext of being "President"

[DeSwiss]

8. He'd be "pretexting as a President" in a landslide won fair and square..

:-)