Telco snooping ... (fwd) "every time you fire up a modem" ??

[Stanton McCandlish <mech@eff.org>]

[Sounds like a load to me, but what the heck might as well pass it on,
just in case.  :]


Forwarded message:
From: c.zeps@genie.geis.com
Date: Sun, 12 Jun 94 11:34:00 UTC
Subject: Telco snooping ...

[...]

 
>From    : ROGER CRAVENS                          Number    : 296 of 296
To      : ALL                                    Date      : 06/06/94 18:46
Subject : Big Brother Still Listeni              Reference : NONE
Read    : [N/A]                                  Private   : NO
Conf    : 048 - GN - RadioTalk
 
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========================================================================
As someone involved in the telephone industry on the level of security
and data integrity... I would like to inform everyone that uses modems
and/or are bbs operators of some information.
 
The first thing that everyone that uses a modem should know is that
every time you fire up your modem your activating monitoring equipment
somewhere in the U.S.  I have worked for several large telephone
networks that routinely monitor and reroute modem and fax transmissions
through devices that allow them to view what is being transmitted and
even decodes encrypted data and fax packets used by major corporations
and governmental agencies.  This is allowed under the heading of
"Maintenance Monitoring" and may be continued for up to 6 months without
the need of any legal paperwork being generated.  Under an obscure
pre-WWII ruling by the agency that is now the FCC... "No information may
be encoded or transmitted over PUBLIC or PRIVATE forms of telephony or
radio with the exception of those agencies involved in the National
Security" a further designation goes on to say "with the exception of
the MORSE system of 'transmittal', any communication that is not
interpretable by the human ear is forbidden and unlawful."  The
information gathered goes to 3 seperate database facilities...1 is
codenamed Diana and is located in Brussels, the 2nd is named Fredrick
and is located somewhere in Malaysia, the 3rd is named Elizabeth and is
located in Boulder, Colorado.  The information stored in these systems
is accessable by the US Government, Interpol, Scotland Yard and various
other such agencies.  Your credit rating is also affected by your modem
usage... if you ever get a copy of your credit history and find a
listing that has HN06443 <--= this is a negative risk rating. or a code
87AT4 <---= an even more negative risk rating.... these will usually
have no description on them... and if you inquire about them they will
tell you that it just comes from the system that way. I am currently
working for another major carrier as a consultant and have been able to
watch these systems operate...at one unnamed long distance carrier here
in Columbus Ohio in their NCC, Network Control Center, you can see
several rows of computer terminals which have approximately 30 to 40
separate windows in each... these windows have data transmissions that
are being monitored... banks of 9 track tapes are going constantly to
record everything.  Everyone should realize that even if a sysop posts a
disclaimer at the beginning of his bbs about no access to governmental
agencies or law enforcement...that it isn't worth the time it takes to
type it in... looking forward to hearing reactions to this.
--- * SLMR 2.0 * * My Castle BBS 614-236-4015 10pm to 10am M-F 6pm-6pm S-S


-- 
Stanton McCandlish * mech@eff.org * Electronic Frontier Found. OnlineActivist
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